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sour

sour

46 3.7
Showing an unfriendly, resentful mood
  • adjective
  • /saʊər/
translation icon : malhumorado
  • Principal Himbery, 50s, an old codger of a man wearing a sour face, speaks up.
  • a sour mood
  • turn sour
  • sour grapes

And I thought, Oh my gosh, what a sour, resentful guy.

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Examples

  • Nobody wants to be around a grumpy, sour person that pushes people away.

  • You make such a sour face.

  • You sound a little sour there.

  • Mr Johnson finally turned sour.

  • So let's just maybe I just have a sour attitude right now or something.

  • Bill walks past him with a sour look, but the children become loud and happy.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • You know, you were sitting there with a disapproving face, very sour through the whole thing.

  • And I thought, Oh my gosh, what a sour, resentful guy.

  • The doctor was young, thin-haired, spectacled, sour-looking, and not courtly at all, like the one in the video.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He always has a sour expression when he hears bad news.

Synonyms

bitter
vssour
360 2.5

Feeling or showing strong anger and hurt

is milder, describing moody sulkiness rather than intense lasting bitterness
sullen
vssour
26 4.7

Being quiet and bad-tempered, showing that a person is upset

focuses more on sulky resentment and unfriendly mood rather than silence
pissy
vssour
  • Offensive
18 9.6

Quick to become annoyed and show a bad mood

is more about sustained sulkiness and resentful attitude than quick irritation
morose
vssour
15 7.9

Being quiet and unhappy and showing little interest in others

emphasizes resentful or moody attitude rather than general gloominess
dour
vssour
12 7.6

Serious and unfriendly in a way that looks gloomy

is about personal sulkiness and resentful mood rather than sternness
ill-humored
vssour
  • US
1 7.0

Being often in a bad mood and unfriendly

is specifically about sulky resentment and unfriendly mood rather than plain irritation
scowling
vssour
1 5.4

A person who looks angry and unfriendly because they frown

covers the mood behind the expression rather than only the facial look
saturnine
vssour
  • Formal
1 9.9

Having a serious, quiet mood that shows sadness or anger

is more about resentful, unfriendly sulkiness than long-lasting gloom
vinegary
vssour
7.6

Having a sour, unfriendly tone or manner

is more about moody sulking and resentful attitude rather than sharpness
vinegarish
vssour
9.9

A person who has a sour, unfriendly mood and speaks sharply to others

leans more toward sulkiness and personal resentment than harshness
huffish
vssour
9.9

Being bad-tempered and easily offended

is broader, marking a resentful or moody attitude not only offense
glowering
vssour
7.4

A dark, angry look that seems threatening

describes an overall moody, resentful attitude rather than just the look

Antonyms

773 1.0

Kind and helpful toward other people

111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

Idioms

sour grapes
  • Informal
9 6.1

Saying something is not good because you cannot have it

Compounds

34 1.0

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

5 5.0

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

4 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

1 2.9

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

sour mash whiskey
  • Specialized
1 7.2

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

1 3.6

A deep red colour like the skin of ripe tart fruit

1 5.0

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

1 3.7

A very tart orange used in cooking and for making marmalade

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

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

sour gourd
  • Australian
9.9

A tree that has sour fruit often used in cooking

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

8.4

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

8.6

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

sour fig
  • South African
9.2

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

sour gourd
  • Australian
8.9

A sour edible fruit with hard skin used in cooking

4.8

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

A liking for sour foods

sour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.9

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

Tasting sharp and like lemon or vinegar

How Sour

hostile
194 4.6
bitter
360 2.5
sour
46 3.7
distant
61 4.9
cold
883 4.4

Surface Forms

sour positive
sourer comparative
sourest superlative

Etymology

Sour (mood) uses the same old idea from Old English sūr meaning 'sharp' or 'bitter', so a person's mood is called sour when they are unfriendly or in a bad temper, like a disagreeable taste.