dour

[ door, douuhr, dou-er ]

adjective

1. sullen; gloomy:

   The captain's dour look depressed us all.

   Synonyms: moody, sour, morose

2. severe; stern:

   His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.

3. Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.

dour

/ ˈdaʊə; dʊə /

adjective

1. sullen
2. hard or obstinate

Derived Forms

• ˈdourness, noun
• ˈdourly, adverb

Other Words From

• dourly adverb
• dourness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dour¹

1325–75; Middle English, from Latin dūrus dure ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dour¹

C14: probably from Latin dūrus hard

Synonym Study

See glum.

Example Sentences

He has fond memories of growing up in Lewis and says the Sabbath never seemed dour.

From BBC

The feeling between Trump and McConnell is mutual — the former president once called the Kentucky Republican "a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack."

From Salon

“I’m real over anything kind of dour and greedy,” Gonzo said.

From Los Angeles Times

Just imagine a split screen with the dour, puritanical face of House Speaker Mike Johnson on one side and ATL rapper Lil Jon blasting “Turn Down for What” on the other.

From Salon

The "democracy" framework has a seriousness to it that verges on dour.

From Salon

Related Words

• bleak
• glum
• harsh
• morose
• sullen
• surly