sour

[ souuhr, sou-er ]

/ saʊər, ˈsaʊ ər /

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See synonyms for: sour / soured / souring / sourish on Thesaurus.com

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.

rendered acid or affected by fermentation; fermented.

producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, salt, or sweet.

characteristic of something fermented: a sour smell.

distasteful or disagreeable; unpleasant.

below standard; poor.

harsh in spirit or temper; austere; morose; peevish.

Agriculture. (of soil) having excessive acidity.

(of gasoline or the like) contaminated by sulfur compounds.

Music. off-pitch; badly produced: a sour note.

noun

something that is sour.

any of various cocktails consisting typically of whiskey or gin with lemon or lime juice and sugar and sometimes soda water, often garnished with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, or both.

an acid or an acidic substance used in laundering and bleaching to neutralize alkalis and to decompose residual soap or bleach.

verb (used without object)

to become sour, rancid, mildewed, etc.; spoil: Milk sours quickly in warm weather. The laundry soured before it was ironed.

to become unpleasant or strained; worsen; deteriorate: Relations between the two countries have soured.

to become bitter, disillusioned, or disinterested: I guess I soured when I learned he was married. My loyalty soured after his last book.

Agriculture. (of soil) to develop excessive acidity.

verb (used with object)

to make sour; cause sourness in: What do they use to sour the mash?

to cause spoilage in; rot: Defective cartons soured the apples.

to make bitter, disillusioned, or disagreeable: One misadventure needn't have soured him. That swindle soured a great many potential investors.

SYNONYMS FOR sour

5 bitter.

7 severe, testy, touchy, acrimonious, cross, petulant, crabbed.

See synonyms for sour on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR sour

1 sweet.

See antonyms for sour on Thesaurus.com

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

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Origin of sour

First recorded before 1000; Middle English (adjective and noun) sure, soure, Old English sūr (adjective); cognate with German sauer, Dutch zuur, Old Norse sūrr

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

sourish, adjectivesourly, adverbsourness, nouno·ver·sour, adjective

o·ver·sour·ly, adverbo·ver·sour·ness, nounun·sour, adjectiveun·sour·ly, adverbun·sour·ness, noun

Words nearby sour

soup plate, soupspoon, soup-to-nuts, soup up, soupy, sour, sourball, sourberry, source, source amnesia, source book

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for sour

Cut warm bread into wedges and serve with sour cream butter, enjoy immediately.
A Chewy and Crispy Korean Bing Bread Recipe That Chicago Diners Obsess Over|Patty Diez|September 24, 2020|Eater
While the conviction partly reflects the outsize returns from internet and software companies, it also highlights the danger should sentiment start to sour, he said.
Morgan Stanley analyst warns tech selloff could still have further to go|kdunn6|September 22, 2020|Fortune
And, investors that had previously soured on digitally-native consumer startups over concerns about high customer acquisition costs are starting to change their tune, given the huge growth these companies have seen over the past six months.
‘It is all DTC now’: VCs are eager to strike deals again|Anna Hensel|September 18, 2020|Digiday
It potentially sours people’s views towards the sport’s integrity.
The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|August 20, 2020|Freakonomics

You visit the sour clerk at the coffee shop at which you are a regular.
The first murder|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
He had already let his reputation sour—and his country down—so he paid up.
Should the U.S. Really Pay a Kim’s Ransom?|Kevin Bleyer|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a stint with a replacement Head Mistress went sour, R seriously considered shutting down La Domaine for good.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And research shows that sugar has a sour effect on mental health, too.
9 Ways to Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder|DailyBurn|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Light amber in color with a subtle sour finish, Fula is one of Casa Bruja's best sellers.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One strip, Foolish Grandpa and Sour Henry, shows Grandpa being hit on the head by a sandbag and blown up by dynamite.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And right after that, some nice sour milk would come splashing down into the trough of the pen.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
As soon as he was in it Squinty ran over to the trough, hoping there would be some sour milk in it.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Why, he ordered his chamber-maid to bring him some soap and warm water, that he might wash the sour krout off his hands.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
They affirmed it was an antidote to all poison; that it expelled rheums, sour humours, and obstructions of all kinds.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
"Getting back home," answered Squinty, as he took a big drink of sour milk.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum

British Dictionary definitions for sour (1 of 2)

sour

/ (ˈsaʊə) /

adjective

having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegarCompare bitter (def. 1)

made acid or bad, as in the case of milk or alcohol, by the action of microorganisms

having a rancid or unwholesome smell

(of a person's temperament) sullen, morose, or disagreeable

(esp of the weather or climate) harsh and unpleasant

disagreeable; distastefula sour experience

(of land, etc) lacking in fertility, esp due to excessive acidity

(of oil, gas, or petrol) containing a relatively large amount of sulphur compounds

go sour or turn sour to become unfavourable or inharmonioushis marriage went sour

noun

something sour

mainly US any of several iced drinks usually made with spirits, lemon juice, and icea whiskey sour

an acid used in laundering and bleaching clothes or in curing animal skins

verb

to make or become sour

Derived forms of sour

sourish, adjectivesourly, adverbsourness, noun

Word Origin for sour

Old English sūr; related to Old Norse sūrr, Lithuanian suras salty, Old Slavonic syrŭ wet, raw, surovu green, raw, Sanskrit surā brandy

British Dictionary definitions for sour (2 of 2)

Sour

/ (sʊə) /

noun

a variant spelling of Sur

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

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sour

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

SYNONYMS FOR sour

ANTONYMS FOR sour

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of sour

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

Words nearby sour

Example sentences from the Web for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sour (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

verb

Derived forms of sour

Word Origin for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sour (2 of 2)

noun

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sour

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

SYNONYMS FOR sour

ANTONYMS FOR sour

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Origin of sour

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

Words nearby sour

Content related to sour

Words related to sour

Example sentences from the Web for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sour (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

verb

Derived forms of sour

Word Origin for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sour (2 of 2)

noun