dour
[door, douuhr, dou-er]
adjective
sullen; gloomy: The captain's dour look depressed us all.
severe; stern: His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.
Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.
Origin of dour
Synonyms for dour
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for dourness
simplicity, severity, bareness, economy, plainness, spareness, baldness, primitiveness, spartanismExamples from the Web for dourness
Historical Examples of dourness
Rob turned on her with all the dourness of the Anguses in him.
When a Man's SingleJ. M. Barrie
His face had an ugly, sullen look, something of his father's dourness.
The PioneersKatharine Susannah Prichard
Our Scottish kirk has a great reputation for dourness—but it has probably kindled more humour than it ever quenched.
Law and LaughterGeorge Alexander Morton
Business is lively here, the chronic "dourness" of a market being discounted by the scarcity of horseflesh.
Camps, Quarters and Casual PlacesArchibald Forbes
"You're as obstinate as the devil," smiled Peter, but in his heart he admired the dourness of his friend.
The Yukon TrailWilliam MacLeod Raine
dour
adjective
Word Origin for dour
C14: probably from Latin dūrus hard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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dour
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper