dour
12
7.6
- adjective
- /dʊr/
:
adusto
- Despite the festive atmosphere, her dour attitude dampened the mood of the party.
I'm sure all of you have seen the bust of Cicero where he's, you know, got kind of wispy hair, kind of a dour face.
- I'm sure all of you have seen the bust of Cicero where he's, you know, got kind of wispy hair, kind of a dour face.
- So we're not going to get too dour too quickly, you know, because you, you, you strike an optimistic tone.
- There's there's this mention that Lovecraft has of these New Englanders who, you know, believe in the Christian God and they've got this sort of dour view.
Examples
-
Then he drew his hand across his face, pretending to push aside his dour expression, replacing it with a boyish smile.
Fiction book (2001) -
But, returning to reality, even the dour Murphy cracks a small smile.
Academic text (1997) -
Could that be the silent, dour George?
-
A bit dour, maybe, but not scary.
-
He seems a dour sort.
-
The comtesse is looking rather dour this evening, don't you think?
-
His companion was short and lean, clean-shaven, and possessed a dour expression.
Fiction book (1992) -
Suddenly, Bonita rushes up, muttering something that brings smiles to the dour Canadians.
Fiction book (2000) -
Ealad-hach paused in his pacing and favored his brother with a dour stare.
Fiction book (1992) -
He always has a dour expression, rarely smiling at anyone he meets.
Synonyms
452
1.4
Calm and focused, not playful or joking
52
4.6
Serious and sad in feeling or mood
46
3.7
Showing an unfriendly, resentful mood
32
4.2
Serious and unfriendly so people feel afraid to approach
26
4.7
Being quiet and bad-tempered, showing that a person is upset
23
4.1
Looking or feeling sad and quiet
15
7.9
Being quiet and unhappy and showing little interest in others
10
6.5
Very firm in decisions and not willing to change or give up
7
6.5
Showing no feeling or sympathy
1
9.9
Having a serious, quiet mood that shows sadness or anger
Looking unfriendly or dangerous so people do not want to go near
A dark, angry look that seems threatening
Antonyms
How Stern
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dour comes from an old root durus, which means 'hard' and is the same root as durable and endure. So calling someone dour is like saying their face or manner is 'hard'—serious, stern, or gloomy.