sour 1 of 2

verb

Definition of sournext
as in to anger
to cause to change from friendly or loving to unfriendly or uncaring a misunderstanding that soured their relationship for a long time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sour

2 of 2

adjective

ˈsau̇(-ə)r How to pronounce sour (audio)
1
as in acidic
causing or characterized by the one of the four basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids the sour candy made our mouths all wrinkly inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses you'll have to face up to the sour truth of the matter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard things started off well, but now it's all gone sour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sour
Verb
It’s well documented that a souring relationship can increase your chances of anxiety, eating disorders, and emotional issues. — Georgia Casey, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026 Views of Canada in particular have soured amid a trade war between the two countries. — Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
Adjective
But what was supposed to be Yung Miami’s sweet mainstream moment has left a sour aftertaste. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026 Things turned sour between neighbors in February 2025 when the city of Willow Park annexed 321 acres near Interstate 20 and FM 1187 west of Fort Worth. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
  1. anger
  2. acidic
  3. unpleasant
  4. unacceptable
  5. infuriate
  6. acid
  7. bitter
  8. wrong
Verb
  • Soon, other aggrieved groups—farmers, trade unionists, climate activists, yellow-vest protesters angered by rising costs—joined in, and the demonstrations that followed quickly became some of France’s most widespread and explosive since 1968.
    — Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Employers understandably worry that narrowing health benefits will anger workers.
    — Tony Lo Sasso, STAT, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of anger
Adjective
  • With blistering satirical slants and a steady mix of acidic jabs at middle-class life, Darko should be boffo among the teen and young adults segment as well as those viewers still plugged into a sophomoric self-identity.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rice vinegar is acidic and tart, with little natural sweetness.
    — Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • George is being extremely unpleasant toward everyone and seems to be moving toward a breakdown.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Consumers across the country have described to CBS California Investigates, and in hundreds of online reviews, their unpleasant experiences at the stores, alleging they were pressured to make purchases worth thousands of dollars.
    — Amy Corral, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • These efforts should be lauded because lawyering solely to please Trump without an iota of reasonableness according to prescribed rules of law to which all lawyers must adhered is simply unacceptable.
    — Miles J. Zaremski, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But critics, like the Civic Federation, are denouncing the budget plan, calling it an unacceptable abdication of responsibility to meet the fiscal realities facing the city.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Verb
  • The podcaster Candace Owens drove those theories, infuriating her former employer, Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The decision has infuriated Democrats and threatened the party’s path to winning a Senate majority.
    — Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Adjective
  • They are accompanied by their keeper, a man with dwarfism, quite probably an acid joke at his expense.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Whatever your pleasure, there’s no wrong way to take an acid trip.
    — Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of acid
Adjective
  • The Daily Caller is clearly positioning itself for a landscape not just post-midterms but post- Trump, and for a bitter and intensifying intra-party media battle.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Without that delicate balance, the character could have come off as too bitter, on one end of the spectrum, or too tragic.
    — Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • The first step is to ask the lender to reconsider the value if the appraisal overlooked a recent sale or got the details wrong.
    — Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Schubarth said that statements from prosecutors that he was motivated to create a hybrid ram with giant horns in order to upsell to commercial shooting operations are wrong.
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrong

Phrases Containing sour

Browse Nearby Words

soupy
sour
source
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sour. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All