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
His face, much like Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) dour, unforgiving countenance, is not that of a happy man.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
This is one of those songs that snaps me out of the dour nature of this work.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
For His Met Opera Debut, a Director Takes On ‘Salome’
April 28, 2025
Guth, placing the action in a dour black mansion around the turn of the 20th century, has shifted from ancient to modern times Strauss’s 100-minute, one-act adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Suggested Reading Big Tech's moment of truth is here
There's a sign the restaurant recession is already here
Amazon says its Temu competitor 'considered' showing tariff charges that raised White House ire
Consumers continued to be in a dour mood over the past month.
—Kevin Williams, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
This is one of those songs that snaps me out of the dour nature of this work.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025
For His Met Opera Debut, a Director Takes On ‘Salome’
April 28, 2025
Guth, placing the action in a dour black mansion around the turn of the 20th century, has shifted from ancient to modern times Strauss’s 100-minute, one-act adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Suggested Reading Big Tech's moment of truth is here
There's a sign the restaurant recession is already here
Amazon says its Temu competitor 'considered' showing tariff charges that raised White House ire
Consumers continued to be in a dour mood over the past month.
—Kevin Williams, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
-
Peter Capaldi - Twelfth Doctor From 2014-2017, a gruff and action-ready Peter Capaldi shredded an electric guitar through the TARDIS.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
-
Over a four-decade career that began with a role on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Lyonne has become known for portraying characters that are gruff but likable, hard-nosed but sympathetic.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
After trading away star guard Luka Doncic for big man Anthony Davis, many saw Dallas as a team with a grim outlook for the future.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
-
As Read walked to the bench with her legal team, Peggy O'Keefe, seated every day front and center, gave the defendant a grim look, video shows.—
Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
The flybridge has a reverse radar arch that prompts a double take, while the remainder of the exterior focuses on open space (case in point, the foredeck), along with the beautiful design of the cockpit and stern area.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
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The 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged Wednesday when a transport cradle on the ship’s stern detached early during a launch ceremony attended by Kim at the northeastern port of Chongjin.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
Caron was used to seeing my fiery side, the fierce competitor, the demanding coach.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
-
The feedback was fierce—storyboards dismantled, ideas shredded—but the environment was psychologically safe.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Groups were scaling the 30-foot steel border fence with rope ladders, or crawling through gaps sawed into the old steel mesh fencing, hundreds of people a day in a 20-mile stretch starting at the rugged mountainside of Mt. Cristo Rey.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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After a rugged childhood without electricity or indoor plumbing, Robertson earned a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech University.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
31 May 2025
-
The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps better than any other source of encouragement, parents can make counseling appear less intimidating and more important.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
The Cosmos, like its namesake, is nothing if not enormous and intimidating.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
Some of countries in the continent that are rich in uranium, such as Niger and Gabon, may be delicate or difficult to deal with in the near term as both underwent military coups recently, with Niger turning hostile toward the French and more toward the Russians.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET and Pacers fans are sure to bring the energy and create a hostile atmosphere for New York.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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