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: It was a sour effort all around, the kind of effort that doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

harsh in spirit or temper; acrimonious; disagreeable; 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.

any of various beers with a particularly acidic or tart taste, made so by acid-producing bacteria and yeast in the brew: Sours are a good choice to go with deep-fried bar food.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR sour

5 bitter.

6 suboptimal, subpar, unsatisfactory.

7 embittered, testy, touchy, cross, petulant, crabbed; severe.

See synonyms for sour on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR sour

1 sweet.

See antonyms for sour on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of sour

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

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. 2023

How to use sour in a sentence

A kind of pizza with sour cream, bacon, caramelized onions and a strong cheese on top of it.
Kansas City Chiefs Lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Stayed On The COVID-19 Front Lines. Now He's Missing The Super Bowl.|Sean Gregory|February 4, 2021|Time
Monday Gin’s Zero Alcohol Gin offers a familiar base of juniper with citrus and spice botanicals that stands up excellently in a lemon-grenadine gin sour or in a Negroni made with Proteau’s vermouth-style Ludlow Red in lieu of Campari.
Keep dry January going all year with these cutting-edge non-alcoholic cocktails|By Dan Q. Dao/Saveur|February 2, 2021|Popular-Science
As much as everybody around William regards him as a royal ass, we — his intimate confessors — know that he’s a hopeless romantic, hurt and confused, baffled that love can turn sour so quickly.
Ethan Hawke turns his acting experience — and past infidelities — into brilliant fiction|Ron Charles|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
If you somehow tick all those boxes in 2021, go for it with an included recipe for vodka cocktails topped with bracingly sour sea buckthorn juice.
Take a culinary journey with these new travel-inspired cookbooks|Jen Rose Smith|January 22, 2021|Washington Post

Butter, heavy cream, cheese, sour cream, creme fraiche and yogurt are all great dairy contenders.
Potatoes aren’t the only vegetables you should be mashing|Aaron Hutcherson|January 20, 2021|Washington Post
The proper sourness is indicated by the formation of a stiff brat upon the surface which has become uneven.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen
The amount of lemon juice depends, of course, on the sourness of the apples.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
A ruffle of sourness shot over the features of the earl, and was noticed by both eager betters, who exchanged a glance.
The Amazing Marriage, Complete|George Meredith
It is a rule never to use pearlash for Indian, unless to correct the sourness of milk; it injures the flavor of the meal.
The American Frugal Housewife|Lydia M. Child
He had no sympathy with a flippant cheerfulness: upon the surface was sourness, discontent, displeasure, ill-will.
My Recollections of Lord Byron|Teresa Guiccioli

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

sour

OTHER WORDS FOR sour

OPPOSITES FOR sour

Origin of sour

OTHER WORDS FROM sour

Words related to sour

How to use sour in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sour (1 of 2)

Derived forms of sour

Word Origin for sour

British Dictionary definitions for sour (2 of 2)