sour 1 of 2

1
as in acidic
causing or characterized by the one of the four basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids the sour candy made our mouths all wrinkly inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard things started off well, but now it's all gone sour

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sour
Verb
Not only did operational costs balloon but the souring financial situation forced some Connecticut families to do the unthinkable: surrender their pet to a local shelter. Edwin Sayres, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025 But respondents’ expectations of the economy a year from now have soured slightly, compared to the January survey. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The fact that Trump's capricious destruction of everything in sight is correctly associated by voters with economic turmoil, price increases, hiring freezes even in the private sector and an overall quite sour consumer outlook should concern them. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 Some farmers are concerned that lawsuits and recalls may cause their milk businesses to go sour. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
Verb
  • President Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state have greatly angered Canadians.
    Hersh Shefrin, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • The craft retailer, which already closed 800 stores across the U.S. in February, has consumers angered by the terms and conditions of their going-out-of-business sales.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Blueberries need a very acidic soil; have the soil pH checked before planting. 69.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Natural colors can be sensitive to heat, light, oxygen and changes in pH. Pigments extracted from berries, cabbage, and red radishes, for instance, may register as a purply-blue when used in a neutral-pH cookie dough but change to a pastel pink when added to an acidic lemonade.
    Ali Bouzari, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This is notable, given that post-Covid brick and mortar shopping has generally become so unpleasant, it’s given rise to the need for a personal shopper.
    Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Less a song than a gag, every individual element is unpleasant: single-entendre lyrics; vocals and synths that aren’t even in the same key; and the less said about Space Cowboy’s guest verse, the better.
    Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Restaurants rated unacceptable must close to fix their issues and require reinspection prior to reopening.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Plagiarism Policies Plagiarism is unacceptable in academic circles.
    Rowan Briggs, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In ever more apocalyptic language, Trump has sought to unify his MAGA movement with strongman pledges to defend Americans from millions of hostile foreigners seeking to storm the country and to root out enemy aliens within.
    Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
  • The film follows a ragtag group of actors (played by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, among other stars) from an ‘80s sci-fi series who aliens unexpectedly abduct during a convention appearance.
    Matt Juul, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2023
Adjective
  • But his prematurely craggy voice and melodies, combined with arrangement rooted in string bands, were nothing like the soft-rock dudes on the radio; if anything, Hurley was acid folk.
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
  • For the Abe Lincoln tomato, for example — a century-old, disease-resistant red slicer with rich, slightly acid flavor — there is seed from listers in California, Nebraska, Maine, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Jersey.
    Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Some instant coffee is made with Robusta beans, which can be a bit bitter.
    Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025
  • To add to Ferrari’s woes, Hamilton was also disqualified from sixth as the rear skid block on his car failed to meet the minimum thickness requirement – a bitter pill to swallow for the Brit who had secured his first victory for the team in the sprint earlier in the weekend.
    Yara Elshebiny, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In the case of the Ruscha photographs, computer vision was simply wrong.
    Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
  • It’s been more than two years since a fiery derailment in rural Ohio made Norfolk Southern and the village of East Palestine household names for all the wrong reasons.
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sour. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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