sour

[ souuhr, sou-er ]

adjective

, sour·er, sour·est.

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

   Antonyms: sweet

2. rendered acid or affected by fermentation; fermented.
3. producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, salt, or sweet.
4. characteristic of something fermented:

   a sour smell.

5. distasteful or disagreeable; unpleasant.

   Synonyms: unsatisfactory, subpar, suboptimal, bitter

6. below standard; poor:

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

7. harsh in spirit or temper; acrimonious; disagreeable; peevish.

   Synonyms: severe, crabbed, petulant, cross, touchy, testy

8. Agriculture. (of soil) having excessive acidity.
9. (of gasoline or the like) contaminated by sulfur compounds.
10. Music. off-pitch; badly produced:

    a sour note.

noun

1. something that is sour.
2. 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.
3. 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.

4. 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)

1. to become sour, rancid, mildewed, etc.; spoil:

   Milk sours quickly in warm weather. The laundry soured before it was ironed.

2. to become unpleasant or strained; worsen; deteriorate:

   Relations between the two countries have soured.

3. to become bitter, disillusioned, or disinterested:

   I guess I soured when I learned he was married.

   My loyalty soured after his last book.

4. Agriculture. (of soil) to develop excessive acidity.

verb (used with object)

1. to make sour; cause sourness in:

   What do they use to sour the mash?

2. to cause spoilage in; rot:

   Defective cartons soured the apples.

3. to make bitter, disillusioned, or disagreeable:

   One misadventure needn't have soured him. That swindle soured a great many potential investors.

sour

¹

/ ˈsaʊə /

adjective

1. having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegar Compare bitter
2. made acid or bad, as in the case of milk or alcohol, by the action of microorganisms
3. having a rancid or unwholesome smell
4. (of a person's temperament) sullen, morose, or disagreeable
5. (esp of the weather or climate) harsh and unpleasant
6. disagreeable; distasteful

   a sour experience

7. (of land, etc) lacking in fertility, esp due to excessive acidity
8. (of oil, gas, or petrol) containing a relatively large amount of sulphur compounds
9. go sour or turn sour
   to become unfavourable or inharmonious

   his marriage went sour

noun

1. something sour
2. any of several iced drinks usually made with spirits, lemon juice, and ice

   a whiskey sour

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

verb

1. to make or become sour

Sour

²

/ sʊə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of Sur

Derived Forms

• ˈsourish, adjective
• ˈsourness, noun
• ˈsourly, adverb

Other Words From

• sour·ish adjective
• sour·ly adverb
• sour·ness noun
• o·ver·sour adjective
• o·ver·sour·ly adverb
• o·ver·sour·ness noun
• un·sour adjective
• un·sour·ly adverb
• un·sour·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sour¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sour¹

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

Example Sentences

But Trump has since soured on Wray, whose bureau has been arrested scores of people who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

From Salon

The Mexican football federation had said the behaviour which resulted in their manager being hit had "no place in our sport", while Honduras manager Rueda said the incident soured his side's victory.

From BBC

“You get the sweet and sour taste from the dressing, and you get the smokey grilled flavor from the sausage, combined with the crunchy bread. Hot dogs cover most of your taste cravings.”

From Salon

“I think it’s f**king hilarious. Hilarious to watch the swamp struggle with the existential crisis that’s been shoved in their faces by the American people,” Santos said, chalking up the pushback to sour grapes.

From Salon

Trump often soured on appointees who seemed drawn to the limelight during his first term, and even the warmest of relationships could go bad.

From BBC

Related Words

• embitter
• exacerbate
• spoil