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 plans show defense spending next year would stay largely static, and would be funded with tax hikes amid increasingly dour growth forecasts.
—
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Upstairs, the primary suite feels more boutique hotel than dour Tudor manor, with dual dressing rooms, a rolltop bath, and even a private yoga studio.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2025
Still, the overall picture of the labor market remains dour for many Americans, especially the nearly 2 million people who have been searching for jobs for at least half a year.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Back on Capitol Hill, the mood is dour and fatalistic.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Upstairs, the primary suite feels more boutique hotel than dour Tudor manor, with dual dressing rooms, a rolltop bath, and even a private yoga studio.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2025
Still, the overall picture of the labor market remains dour for many Americans, especially the nearly 2 million people who have been searching for jobs for at least half a year.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Back on Capitol Hill, the mood is dour and fatalistic.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That’s a grim prospect—but then, in Venezuela, yesterday’s grimmest prospects become tomorrow’s headlines with dreadful regularity.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Controversy follows Cheney While Cheney's disposition was never particularly sunny, critics assailed the vice president as a relentlessly grim figure.—
Don Gonyea,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Its 42-foot Torpedo RS is built with a more dramatic hourglass profile, enhanced by stylish stern winglets that deliver sharper turns and a drier ride in swells.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
26 Oct. 2025
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China conducted military exercises in Serbia in July despite stern warnings from the European Union, and Belgrade provides Beijing with a security foothold in Europe.—
Chris Massaro,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rutgers, meanwhile, has lost three in a row and now faces the unenviable task of attempting to strip down one of the most intimidating offenses in the nation.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Technology is as straightforward and as non-intimidating as any EV.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Elizabeth’s determination not to settle the succession gave rise to fierce rivalry between the claimants to the English throne, among them Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI; James’s cousin Arbella Stuart; Lady Katherine Grey and her descendants; and Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Yet plans to expand America’s lab-monkey stockpile have been met with fierce opposition.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Hoka Anacapa 2 Low GTX Trail Running Shoes While most hiking shoes have a more rugged, utilitarian look, these Hoka hikers lend more towards stylish.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
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Hokkaido is known for its rugged natural beauty, cold winters and thriving agricultural and seafood industries.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While the eradication of our species might sound like a bleak ending note, Lanthimos tells EW that audiences are divided on whether the film presents a hopeful or pessimistic view of the future.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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Duffy painted a bleak scene at airports if the shutdown is not ended before Thanksgiving travel.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Heading into a hostile environment at the Rogers Centre, the Dodgers must defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in Games 6 and 7 to clinch their second-straight World Series title.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Plot details are very hazy, but the word on the street is that the story centers on a ne’er-do-well smuggler who finds himself in the middle of a deadly double-cross while on a job in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in him surrounded by bodies, hostile mercenaries and thirsty sharks alike.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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