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
The dour sentiment reading comes at a time when a large swath of data paints a picture of a resilient US economy while the stock market continues to hit new highs.
—
Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Largely told in a dour naturalistic visual language, Barnard switches things up for one a classically beautiful image of lights shimmering on water.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
These dour trends align with what economically skittish Americans told pollsters who create the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Half Man is largely dour and colorless, doomed from beginning to end.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dour
Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Largely told in a dour naturalistic visual language, Barnard switches things up for one a classically beautiful image of lights shimmering on water.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
These dour trends align with what economically skittish Americans told pollsters who create the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Half Man is largely dour and colorless, doomed from beginning to end.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Ye-jin is drawn in by the caring nature beneath Matthew’s gruff surface.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
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But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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The world may have looked grim in what was also a penultimate week before elections, when the focus becomes necessarily not on joy but misery, the political premise being the winning candidate is the one who makes the electorate the angriest.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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The combination of factors threatens to make what is a grim situation worse.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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His portrait, stern and majestic, hangs broodingly over the stairs; elsewhere on the walls, the art ranges from the Baroque to the bro-tinged, with turbaned figures sharing space with Ryu from Street Fighter.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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The cop, who was fingerprinted after taking the deal, had a stern expression throughout the brief hearing.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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When safety is embedded into the workplace culture, changing regulations become less intimidating because the organization is already oriented around protecting people.—
John F. McQuillan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The context makes their league triumph all the more impressive and all the more intimidating.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Reddit is home to many of Civilization VII’s fiercest critics, but Test of Time also appears to be well received there, too.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Holly Wheeler, vice president of global brand marketing at Kontoor Brands, said the partnership with Coors Banquet honors Wrangler’s music heritage, blending festival style with rugged functionality.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
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This rugged Makita vacuum for cars can run for up to 30 minutes on a charge and its suction can be reversed to blow dirt and debris out of tight spaces.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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For years, radical climate activists have painted a bleak view of the future.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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