dour — stern, forbidding, and gloomy in manner or appearance
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: stern, forbidding, and gloomy in manner or appearance
Pronunciation (IPA): /daʊr/
Example Sentences
- My dour neighbor hasn't said 'hello' to me in three years.
- The CEO's dour demeanor made the meeting feel like a funeral.
- Even winning the lottery couldn't change his dour disposition.
dour
ADJECTIVE[/daʊr/]
stern, forbidding, and gloomy in manner or appearance
While the cheerful host greeted the guests with a bright smile, the guard maintained a strict, dour expression.
DOUR (hard/inflexible) — by locking his face into a DOUR (hard) block of stone, the old man remained completely dour.
Drinking a terribly sour tea and waiting alone for an hour, his expression became completely dour.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Scottish English, ultimately derived from Latin 'durus' meaning 'hard' or 'harsh'. The word developed in Scotland's tough climate and conditions to describe someone with a stern, unyielding character.
Breakdown
dur- (hard, harsh) + -our (adjective ending, variant of Latin -us)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My dour neighbor hasn't said 'hello' to me in three years.”
“The CEO's dour demeanor made the meeting feel like a funeral.”
“Even winning the lottery couldn't change his dour disposition.”
“The dour economic forecast worried investors.”
📚Related Words
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