sour

[ souuhr, sou-er ]

/ saʊər, ˈsaʊ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sour 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.

Nearby words

souple, soupmeat, soupspoon, soupy, soupçon, sour, sour cherry, sour cream, sour dock, sour gourd, sour grapes

Origin of sour

before 1000; (adj. and noun) Middle English sure, soure, Old English sūr (orig. adj.); cognate with German sauer, Dutch zuur, Old Norse sūrr; (v.) Middle English souren, derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR sour

5 bitter.

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sour ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR sour

1 sweet.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR sour ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

sour·ish, adjectivesour·ly, adverbsour·ness, nouno·ver·sour, adjective

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sour

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
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
Then when he looked away, she would make a face as if she just drank a cup of sour milk.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A girl from South Africa, with short hair and a sour face marrying the Prince?
Princess Charlene's Monaco Nightmare|Tom Sykes|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But Sandler was left with a sour taste in his mouth when he, along with his best friend Chris Farley, was fired from SNL in 1995.
Adam Sandler Talks Getting Fired From ‘SNL,’ Bad Reviews, and His Desire to Play a Villain|Marlow Stern|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fruit of the blue grape is sour and hangs in long, heavy clusters.
On the Trail|Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard
"Just getting back from Clearport," answered Herbert, with a sour laugh.
Rival Pitchers of Oakdale|Morgan Scott
Pigasov almost withered up with fury, and his sour face grew pale.
Rudin|Ivan Turgenev
It was not often that any of the boys had seen him so sober and sour.
The Boy Scouts Through the Big Timber|Herbert Carter
He bustled in, his smile lines drawn up into a sour purse and waited expectantly.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow

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 Formssourish, 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

Word Origin and History for sour (1 of 2)

sour

adj.

Old English sur "sour, tart, acid, fermented," from Proto-Germanic *sura- "sour" (cf. Old Norse surr, Middle Dutch suur, Dutch zuur, Old High German sur, German Sauer), from PIE root *suro- "sour, salty, bitter" (cf. Old Church Slavonic syru, Russian syroi "moist, raw;" Lithuanian suras "salty," suris "cheese").

French sur "sour, tart" (12c.) is a Germanic loan-word. Meaning :having a peevish disposition" is from early 13c. Sense in whisky sour (1885) is "with lemon added" (1862). Sour cream is attested from 1855.

Word Origin and History for sour (1 of 2)

sour

c.1300, from sour (adj.). Cf. Old High German suren, German säuern. Related: Soured; souring.

sour

adjective, sour·er, sour·est.