dour

adjective

ˈdau̇(-ə)r  ˈdu̇r 

1

: stern, harsh

a dour expression on her face

2

: obstinate, unyielding

an insistent hunger for learning and a dour … determination to achieve it

—Walter Moberly

3

: gloomy, sullen

a dour disposition

dourly adverb

dourness noun

Synonyms

• austere
• fierce
• flinty
• forbidding
• grim
• gruff
• intimidating
• lowering
• louring
• rough
• rugged
• severe
• stark
• steely
• stern
• ungentle

Examples of dour in a Sentence

She had a dour expression on her face.

the dour mood of the crowd

Recent Examples on the Web

Susquehanna also embraced a dour view of the overall market with sales of the SPDR S&P 500 and Invesco QQQ Trust ETFs. —John Dobosz, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

Target gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season, for example, while Walmart gave a much more encouraging outlook. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024

Others on Wall Street went after the Goldman call as misguidedly dour, which is itself possibly an interesting sentiment tell that investors don’t think fat years are followed by lean ones. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2024

But even with the fanciful visuals, the show is relentlessly dour, but without the dramatic chops to support this approach. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin durus hard — more at during

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dour

adjective

ˈdu̇(ə)r  ˈdau̇(ə)r 

: looking or being stern or sullen

dourly adverb

dourness noun