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sourball

American  
[sauuhr-bawl, sau-er-] / ˈsaʊərˌbɔl, ˈsaʊ ər- /

noun

  1. a round piece of hard candy with a tart or acid fruit flavoring.

  2. Informal. a chronic grouch.


Etymology

Origin of sourball

First recorded in 1895–1900; sour + ball 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The much-needed sourball who kept the proceedings from turning sickly sweet, Petra began the series as Rafael’s wife and thus Jane’s foil.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2019

An uneasy, tonally awkward testament to the sourball heart of the candy-colored American Dream, George Clooney’s “Suburbicon” can’t be described as a home run.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 24, 2017

Reviewers had praised them, ranked Weidman with such sourball writers as John O'Hara, James M. Cain, Hemingway.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ralph Addington degenerated into what Honey described as "the human sourball."

From Angel Island by Inez Haynes Gillmore

They were good-natured enough while the girls were about, but over their work and during their leisure, they developed what Honey described as every kind of blue-bean, sourball, katzenjammer and grouch.

From Angel Island by Inez Haynes Gillmore

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