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sour

sour

117 1.0
Having a sharp taste like lemon or vinegar
  • adjective
  • /saʊər/
: agrio
  • The lemonade was too sour for my taste, so I added more sugar.
  • sour taste
  • sour cream
  • sweet and sour

OK, I will say they are a little sour for my liking, but in they go.

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Examples

Synonyms

tangy
vssour
17 3.6

A strong, pleasantly sour taste like lemon

is similar but more neutral, not necessarily pleasant
tart
vssour
16 2.2

Having a sharp, sour taste like a lemon

is broader, covering any sharp acidic taste not only fruitlike
lemony
vssour
5 2.5

Having the fresh sour taste or smell of a lemon

is more general, covering acidic tastes beyond citrus
acid
vssour
4 1.7

Tasting sour and sharp like lemon

is the everyday description of that sharp acidic sensation
acidic
vssour
3 3.5

Tasting sharp and sour like lemon or vinegar

is the general term for a sharp chemical-like taste rather than a technical label
acetic
vssour
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Having a sour, vinegar-like smell or taste

is the simple sensory term for sharp acidic or tart taste
sour-tasting
vssour
1 1.0

Tasting sharp and like lemon or vinegar

expresses the same basic sharp acidic taste without a special nuance
vinegary
vssour
1 5.9

Having a sharp, sour taste or smell

describes sharp acidic taste generally, not limited to vinegar
sharp-tasting
vssour
1 3.9

A strong, slightly sour taste like in aged cheese or salad dressing

is the standard label for sharp acidic or tart flavour
astringent
vssour
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A sharp sour or bitter taste that makes your mouth pucker

is the sharp acidic taste itself, not the puckering effect
acidulous
vssour
1 9.6

Slightly sour in taste or tone

focuses on pure sharp acidity rather than slight bitterness
sourish
vssour
1 3.4

Has a slightly sharp taste like lemon

is the stronger, clearly sharp acidic or tart flavour
acerbic
vssour
1 7.9

A sharp sour taste like lemon or grapefruit

is primarily about acidic sharpness, not bitter harshness
acid-tasting
vssour
1 3.9

Having a sharp, sour taste like lemon or vinegar

covers that sharp acidic flavour in everyday contexts
lemonlike
vssour
1 2.9

Having the sour, fresh taste, smell, or look of a lemon

applies to sharp acidic flavours overall, not only lemon
vinegarish
vssour
1 8.6

A taste or smell that is sharp and sour like vinegar

is the neutral label for sharp acidic or tart flavours
subacid
vssour
1 8.4

A little sour in taste, not as strong as a sour fruit

is the clear sharp acidic taste rather than a mild form
acerb
vssour
1 9.9

Having a sour or bitter taste that feels sharp

is the neutral sharp acidic flavour without added harshness
acetous
vssour
9.9

A sour taste or smell like vinegar

is the general sharp acidic taste not tied to vinegar
acetose
vssour
  • Archaic
9.9

Having a sharp taste or smell like vinegar

is the neutral description of sharp acidic taste overall
acidulent
vssour
9.9

A little sour in taste like a lemon

means the plain sharp acidic taste, not the milder form

Antonyms

292 1.0

Having a taste like sugar, as in candy

Idioms

sour grapes
  • Informal
16 6.1

Saying something is not good because you cannot have it

Compounds

36 1.0

A thick white food made from milk with a slightly sour taste used as a topping or in cooking

8 5.0

A drink made with whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar served over ice

7 1.8

Milk that has gone bad and smells and tastes unpleasant

sour mash
  • Specialized
2 7.4

A way of making whiskey using part of a previous batch to start the next one

2 2.9

A small red fruit that tastes sour and is used for cooking or baking

1 1.0

Tasting sharp and like lemon or vinegar

1 3.7

A very tart orange used in cooking and for making marmalade

1 3.5

Bread made with a mixture of flour and water that has natural yeast, giving a tangy taste

sour mash whiskey
  • Specialized
1 7.2

People add some mash from an earlier batch when making whiskey to keep the same flavor

1 4.8

Small white crystals that you add to food to make it taste sour

1 8.4

A tree that loses its leaves in autumn and has bright red leaves and small blue berries

sour fig
  • South African
1 9.2

A low plant from South Africa with thick leaves that makes small edible fruit

1 8.1

A small plant like clover with a sour taste that people eat as a green

1 5.7

A liking for sour foods

A small tree that makes tart red cherries often used in cooking and jam

1 8.6

A plant with large sour leaves used in salads and spring greens

sour gourd
  • Australian
9.9

A tree that has sour fruit often used in cooking

A deep red colour like the skin of ripe tart fruit

sour gourd
  • Australian
8.9

A sour edible fruit with hard skin used in cooking

A tree that makes bitter oranges used as root for other orange trees and for marmalade

sour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related trees that make flowers and fruit, like the sour gum tree

How Sour

puckery
1 8.4
tangy
17 3.6
sour
117 1.0
tart
16 2.2
acidic
3 3.5

Surface Forms

sour positive

Etymology

Sour (adjective, taste) comes from Old English sūr meaning 'acid' or 'sharp', so we call something sour when it tastes like lemon or vinegar and makes your mouth pucker.