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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dour
Almost everyone would eventually realize that the dour, no-fun critics of the war on terror were correct.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
And then, if the most popular songs in the country aren’t somewhat dour or mellow to a fault, they’re holdovers from 2024 (or older).
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
Kyle, who passed away in 2016, was a proper ‘dour Scotsman’.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
If anything, this dour assessment proved overly optimistic: After six months and a multitude of rejections from US banks, Khan gave up.
—Joel Khalili, Wired News, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2025
And then, if the most popular songs in the country aren’t somewhat dour or mellow to a fault, they’re holdovers from 2024 (or older).
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
Kyle, who passed away in 2016, was a proper ‘dour Scotsman’.
—Felipe Schrieberg, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
If anything, this dour assessment proved overly optimistic: After six months and a multitude of rejections from US banks, Khan gave up.
—Joel Khalili, Wired News, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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The central quartet of friends have a supportive connection underneath all their hormones and egos — Elba proves a standout as the gruff but warm defacto leader — that makes their bloody and sexed-up misadventures oddly wholesome.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2025
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Dougal MacKenzie loves a good prank — and so do the actors who play the gruff Highland Scot.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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So, while the start of this season has been grim for Vitor Pereira and his team, all is not lost.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
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The rhetoric of 2025 is confrontational, transactional, divisive and grim.—
Leah M. Wright,
CNN Money,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Over the past three seasons, viewers have grown fond of Laurel, Belly’s stern but loving mom, whose friendship with the Fisher boys’ mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), is the reason Belly’s in this whole brother-love-triangle mess to begin with.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Aug. 2025
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Yet the power in these two performances isn’t supplemented by much texture in the stern, declamatory writing: There’s little sense of how this relationship functions, or once functioned, outside these particularly fraught scenes.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) shows Democrats ahead of Republicans in overall fundraising, with more success among House Democrats than senators, as the parties gear up for a fierce 2026 midterm election.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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The incident comes amid fierce controversy around pro-Palestinian activism and free speech in the UK, with musicians often at the forefront.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The 2025 Subaru Outback is an adventure-ready SUV Subaru's SUV models like the Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback are known for their rugged exteriors and off-roading potential.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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Fleece merges a rugged sophistication with everyday staples.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Europe’s biggest economy Germany shrank more than expected in the second quarter of the year and faces a bleak outlook.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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The fiscal prospects for both Chicago and its transit authority are bleak.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This season, the idea of him sharing the new ball with Lockie Ferguson could form one of the most intimidating pace duos in the competition.—
Sukhman Singh,
New York Times,
9 Aug. 2025
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Compared to most of their fellow National League contenders, the Cubs' rotation isn't very intimidating on paper.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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That information enables commanders to launch defensive or offensive strikes in seconds, whether intercepting an incoming cruise missile, engaging hostile aircraft, or directing Tomahawk missiles at land targets hundreds of miles away.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
19 Aug. 2025
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This breach demonstrates that hostile players can target individuals within organizations, not just organizations themselves.—
Phillimon Zongo,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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