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
The big hair and thick accents would take you out of the dour world of the movie if decades of Snookies and Sopranos, Gorgas and Guidicis didn’t retroactively ground these characters in some form of reality.
—
Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
During the workshop of Smash (Broadway version), the show ended on an extremely dour note, which audiences hated.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
The dangers of replicating humans and the potential for unethical abuse of the technology are stressed in a dour warning by a senior official on Earth, played with fiery authority in her final screen role by the redoubtable Haydn Gwynne, to whom the film is dedicated.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
The recent fires in Southern California probably have also damped the mood in Hollywood, which was already dour because of an ongoing financial retrenchment.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
During the workshop of Smash (Broadway version), the show ended on an extremely dour note, which audiences hated.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
The dangers of replicating humans and the potential for unethical abuse of the technology are stressed in a dour warning by a senior official on Earth, played with fiery authority in her final screen role by the redoubtable Haydn Gwynne, to whom the film is dedicated.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
The recent fires in Southern California probably have also damped the mood in Hollywood, which was already dour because of an ongoing financial retrenchment.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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In The Empire’s frame, residents of a coastal village in northern France — gruff, virile fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe) and teenage tease Line (Lyna Khoudri) — reveal their oddball allegiance to extraterrestrial invaders.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 Mar. 2025
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There’s a gruff and garrulous baseball pitching and hitting machine called Pop Fly (Brian Cox).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Smells like teen spirit As bloody and grim as Greek myths have always been, Santa Monica Studio established even darker trappings with 2005’s God of War.—
Diego Argüello,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025
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The grim environment has done little to deter the Canadians from touting their diamond industry and close work with the Indigenous communities where the mines are based.—
Samantha Conti,
WWD,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Fast forward five years and Faris is still trying to find a balance between being a fun, yet stern, mom.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
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In Volusia County, where Daytona Beach has long had a reputation for being a spring break party destination, Sheriff Mike Chitwood issued a stern warning.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Monday night’s fierce winds took it down, damaging the support structures in the process.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2025
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Gemini: The White Lotus: New England Logline: At a historic White Lotus resort nestled in the heart of coastal New England, a subtle, yet fierce, class warfare simmers beneath the surface.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The ad campaign shows pizza on a beach, pizza in a rugged Utah stonescape, and pizza in an untrammeled field of snow.—
Brenda Stolyar,
WIRED,
15 Mar. 2025
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Their rugged watch band for the iPhone was the first specifically designed for surfing.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Voters were also asked to give one word to describe the Democratic Party, and the responses were bleak.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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Outside of the December slide, this is as bleak as it’s looked for the Rangers this season.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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While these strengths are impressive and somewhat intimidating, human workers are not without their own robust capabilities that AI systems cannot easily replicate: Creativity and imagination.—
Brent Dykes,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Bay Area news outlets have reported dozens of Jewish families transferring their children out of Oakland’s public schools because of the intimidating, antisemitic school environment.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Amid the ongoing negotiations over a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia amid their ongoing war, Trump has spoken favorably of Putin while having a sometimes openly hostile relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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Bill Belichick's 24-year-old cheerleader girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, posted a screenshot of a hostile exchange with an Instagram user who criticized the couple's relationship Friday.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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