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dour

[door, douuhr, dou-er]
adjective
  1. sullen; gloomy: The captain's dour look depressed us all.
  2. severe; stern: His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.
  3. Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.
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Origin of dour

1325–75; Middle English < Latin dūrus dure1
Related formsdour·ly, adverbdour·ness, noun

Synonyms

1. morose, sour, moody. See glum.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dourly

Historical Examples

  • Balt Haer, who had obviously already had a few, looked at him dourly.

    Mercenary

    Dallas McCord Reynolds

  • "Leonid Plekhanov is no longer with us," Chessman said dourly.

    Adaptation

    Dallas McCord Reynolds

  • "Your uncle is only forty-five and in his prime," said Aunt Augusta dourly.

  • "He will find it best in this instance," says Saxham dourly.

    The Dop Doctor

    Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

  • "—Incorporated information and I can depend on it," said Bors dourly.

    Talents, Incorporated

    William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for dourly

dour

adjective
  1. sullen
  2. hard or obstinate
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Derived Formsdourly, adverbdourness, noun

Word Origin

C14: probably from Latin dūrus hard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dourly

dour

adj.

mid-14c., "severe," from Scottish and northern England dialect, probably from Latin durus "hard" (see endure); sense of "gloomy, sullen" is late 15c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper