dour
adjective
2
: obstinate, unyielding
… an insistent hunger for learning and a dour … determination to achieve it.—
Walter Moberly
Walter Moberly
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
Trauma has left him dour and self-contained, as inaccessible to others as his childhood is to him.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
McVay had spent the previous availability explaining the reason for his somber and dour countenance during an awkward news conference the night before.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
That dour affair left a sour taste in the soccer world.
—Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The problem is that this is misleadingly planting dour ideas in my head and could prod me into a worse mental condition.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dour
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Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
McVay had spent the previous availability explaining the reason for his somber and dour countenance during an awkward news conference the night before.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
That dour affair left a sour taste in the soccer world.
—Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
The problem is that this is misleadingly planting dour ideas in my head and could prod me into a worse mental condition.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for dour
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dour. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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