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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Recent Examples of dour
Weirdly, Valérie Donzelli’s film is dour even by those standards; there are more laughs in Ken Loach’s last three films on much the same subject.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
After Reverend Forte's fortune is discovered, and Ada grabs hold of the house's purse strings, Agnes becomes characteristically dour about her diminished rank.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
After some dour readings as Trump's tariff rhetoric ramped up earlier this year, the sentiment releases have stabilized.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2025
By contrast, Drebin Jr. is more like a clumsy, aging Saint Bernard: a big, shambling man who wears a dour frown but can turn touchy-feely when the talk turns to romance, owls, or turkey dinners.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
After Reverend Forte's fortune is discovered, and Ada grabs hold of the house's purse strings, Agnes becomes characteristically dour about her diminished rank.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
After some dour readings as Trump's tariff rhetoric ramped up earlier this year, the sentiment releases have stabilized.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2025
By contrast, Drebin Jr. is more like a clumsy, aging Saint Bernard: a big, shambling man who wears a dour frown but can turn touchy-feely when the talk turns to romance, owls, or turkey dinners.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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Busta also received an assist from Papoose and Joyner Lucas, all of them sharing lyrical wordplay and seamless tradeoffs as Busta swung between his trademark dichotomy of rapping to gruff bellowing.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Old Man was short and gruff and had chin whiskers.—
Robert Easton,
Outdoor Life,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While Ne Zha’s home of Chentang Pass is being obliterated, we’re shown a grim, apocalyptic tableau of mass death that features a family with a young child frozen in ash.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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The grim irony of Sudan’s predicament is that Africa’s third-largest country boasts significant mineral reserves, including huge quantities of gold, as well as vast swathes of arable land.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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From stern to bow, the boat was a lesson in restrained elegance, with plenty of teak wood and muted, calming shades.—
Rachel Wallace,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
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But after nabbing the part of the stern hotel manager Valentina in the second season of The White Lotus (2022), Impacciatore was launched into Hollywood fame.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Despite fierce opposition to certain kids books by conservative activists, Maricopa County, which serves 144,000 library cardholders, received only 12 formal letters asking for reevaluation of library books and DVDs since 2021.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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In August, the discontent grew when a leak showed that the White House's forthcoming MAHA strategy report would sidestep tougher limits on pesticides and other agrochemicals, bowing to fierce industry pressure.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Marswalker has rugged wheels in each corner for gripping the steps, as well as a long antenna to sense angles and heights.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Sep. 2025
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The two largest rams were lying down, seemingly enjoying their cuds and the panorama of Bear Canyon and the rugged San Andres Mountains that stretched beyond them.—
Tim Kelly,
Outdoor Life,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Matters only got more bleak in the sixth, when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, smoking a ball right above where his guard ended and immediately going down in pain.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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The one constant is the unhappy couple’s bleak surroundings.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For starters, the Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium, which can be an intimidating place with seating for 106,572 fans.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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The easier tasks are less intimidating and will help build your confidence to work on something more challenging in the future.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels for electricity.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter took it as a hostile act and approached Prescott, meeting face-to-face with him.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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