as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
a dour prison guard who didn't look like he'd be very understanding
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Recent Examples of dour
If the themes sound melancholy, Jackman ensures the execution is never dour.
—
Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
But there’s a hearty sense of joy running through even the most dour moments here.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Weirdly, Valérie Donzelli’s film is dour even by those standards; there are more laughs in Ken Loach’s last three films on much the same subject.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
After Reverend Forte's fortune is discovered, and Ada grabs hold of the house's purse strings, Agnes becomes characteristically dour about her diminished rank.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
But there’s a hearty sense of joy running through even the most dour moments here.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Weirdly, Valérie Donzelli’s film is dour even by those standards; there are more laughs in Ken Loach’s last three films on much the same subject.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
After Reverend Forte's fortune is discovered, and Ada grabs hold of the house's purse strings, Agnes becomes characteristically dour about her diminished rank.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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This pays off to some extent because Day-Lewis is such a mesmerizing presence, Ray’s gruff manner and terse communications hinting at dark mysteries to be revealed.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Sep. 2025
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Molina, a window dresser imprisoned for public indecency, escapes the grim reality of their confinement by retelling the plot of a glamorous Hollywood musical featuring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez).—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
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This one revealed fresh cause for concern, and a much more grim prognosis.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That led Judge Cannon to temporarily halt the proceedings and issue Routh a stern warning.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
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High-profile stars and politicians of all creeds have been up in arms and ABC owner Disney has come in for particularly stern criticism over the very live situation.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The bond between the two men was at the center of a fierce political conflict that spread in Washington, San Salvador and Miami.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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And Kailey Agpaoa is goofy and funny as Doctor Sister, a self-sacrificing but fierce young woman who has given up her dreams to care of her aging parents while her older sister has a husband and medical career.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The youngest brother, Benjamin, a laudanum addict is the black sheep of the family and his costumes are equally dark and rugged.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Where to stay Set along an 11-mile stretch of deserted beach on Sardinia’s rugged Costa Verde, Le Dune Piscinas is framed by Europe’s tallest sand dunes, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.—
Chloe Arrojado,
AFAR Media,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These days, things are pretty bleak at the old mall, which has many vacancies, is startlingly empty of shoppers and appears slated for redevelopment.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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Given that such advances are what fuel economic growth and well-being, the future prospects for our economy — and our country in general — become far more bleak.—
Sheldon Jacobson,
Twin Cities,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Being less direct and formal can help prevent your kid putting a wall up — as can chatting during car rides since not being face-to-face can feel less intimidating for them.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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The San Francisco 49ers began the year with one of the more intimidating defensive fronts in the NFL.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Students from the kingdom are increasingly turning away from US universities in particular, put off by a mix of hostile immigration policies, concerns over gun violence, and the kingdom’s own push to grow its domestic education sector.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The move to social media and algorithmic media was really a move toward a style of political communication that is somewhat hostile to the liberal project and the deliberative, open-minded, thoughtful, on-the-one-hand-on-the-other-hand mode of discourse that Obama is good at.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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