dour
adjective
, ˈdu̇r
\
Definition of dour
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Synonyms & Antonyms for dour
Synonyms
austere, fierce, flinty, forbidding, grim, gruff, intimidating, lowering (also louring), rough, rugged, severe, stark, steely, stern, ungentle
Antonyms
benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender
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Examples of dour in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their individual portraits offer a different side of the characters with Nolan looking a tad more serious than his humor often suggests, and the normally dour Sergeant Grey all smiles. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Exclusive: See Nathan Fillion face new dangers in The Rookie season 2 trailer," 3 Sep. 2019 Here, her character is stirred from a dour existence by the company of the devil, her monotone gradually brightened by the prospect of change. — Jordan Riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Witch': Theater Review," 30 Aug. 2019 In the tug-of-war between the world views of cheery optimists and dour pessimists, the happy people just got a big boost. — Marisa Iati, Washington Post, "Here’s a new reason to be an optimist: You’re likely to live longer, study says," 29 Aug. 2019 This dour assessment in The Diplomat offers a few candidates: widespread layoffs and hiring freezes; faltering sales at Alibaba; net income declines at Tencent and JD.com; a sudden dearth of venture and private equity capital. — Fortune, "China’s Unicorns: Galloping Into the Sunset?—Data Sheet," 19 July 2019 Traditional department-store chains like Macy’s and J.C. Penney turned in a dour set of results, and the next round of tariffs on Chinese goods — poised to hit nearly all apparel — could send them reeling even more. — Los Angeles Times, "Target and Walmart shrug off tariffs and signal consumers are just fine," 21 Aug. 2019 Although the report may seem dour about the prospects of the global economy, not all hope is lost, especially if countries abide by the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. — Fox News, "Climate change will shrink 'virtually all' economies around the globe by 2100, study warns," 19 Aug. 2019 The taut-lipped McConnell endures, the dour face of D.C. dysfunction. — Steve Bousquet, sun-sentinel.com, "Sen. Rick Scott is right: ‘Moscow Mitch’ McConnell needs to go | Steve Bousquet," 2 Aug. 2019 The first three episodes available for preview are filled with scenes that could function as enjoyable punchlines, if only the tone weren’t so deadeningly dour. — Noah Berlatsky, The Verge, "Netflix’s Wu Assassins series lacks the Hong Kong cinema magic," 8 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for dour
dour
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of dour
See the full definition for dour in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dour
adjective
, ˈdu̇r\
Kids Definition of dour
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