1
: stern, harsh
a dour expression on her face
2
: obstinate, unyielding
an insistent hunger for learning and a dour … determination to achieve itWalter Moberly
3
: gloomy, sullen
a dour disposition
dourly adverb
dourness noun

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 Minahan liked the fact that the book had an optimistic tone, instead of telling a dour and relentlessly tragic story. Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Sep. 2024 Buffett saw in 2016 that the outlook on Apple was far too dour, and made one of the great wagers of his career. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2024 This is not the case with Eric, a dour and sprawling series seemingly hamstrung by its own conceit: Its central character, a puppeteer named Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) whose son has gone missing, is being haunted by an imaginary giant purple monster named Eric. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 26 July 2024 The southern entrance to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park has long been a rather dour affair. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for dour 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin durus hard — more at during

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dour was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near dour

Cite this Entry

“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dour. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dour

adjective
: looking or being stern or sullen
dourly adverb
dourness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dour

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