sour 1 of 2

Definition of sournext
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
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
Views of Canada in particular have soured amid a trade war between the two countries. — Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 The co-opting of Hispanic Heritage Month by companies like these have soured me on the celebration for years now. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
And members of these new churches were mostly not the black-dressed, hypocritical, sour-faced, monocultural figures favored by popular narrative, but often included colorful figures who were sometimes surprisingly modern in their desires. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Social media influencer Yoatzi Castro was celebrating a friend’s birthday at Disneyland, snacking on churros and riding Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, when the celebratory mood turned sour. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
Verb
  • No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The dispute over the report, which tackled an issue close to Weiss, forced CBS News to delay promotion of the episode and angered Stahl, who felt compelled to defend her reporting at a late stage of production.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Descaling solution is an acidic liquid that reacts with—and therefore breaks down—alkaline mineral build ups that happen over time wherever tap water sits or flows.
    — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Bongulo Paneer — cooked in bamboo — with a coconut and capsicum poriyal blends peanut chutney with acidic gongura sour cream and fiery gunpowder.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • As unpleasant as his job might be at the moment, Harbaugh is ostensibly safe.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Kings and Avalanche aren’t really rivals in the way Dallas and Colorado are, but there’s definitely some unpleasant familiarity after a playoff series last year.
    — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The idea of not spending evenings with my kid is, kids are, is completely unacceptable.
    — Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI took months to discover the incident and notify the Australian agencies affected — that’s unacceptable by my standard.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
  • His laserlike focus on the particulars of the story doesn’t leave much room for extrapolation; even the infuriating case of bureaucratic overreach that the film depicts can easily be understood, and perhaps even defended, as an aberration.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Learning to season food, growing comfortable with adding salt—and ultimately acid, spice, and sweetness—according to your own preferences, is what home cooking is all about.
    — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The idea that these two would have a five-minute-or-less breakup conversation, then plop down on the couch and happily embark on an acid trip together, strains credulity a little, even for this bizarre, codependent friend group.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The second episode will examine her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech, and gender identity, which place her at the heart of increasingly bitter online exchanges.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The incident inspired multiple memorial meme coins, forensic scrutiny of video footage, and bitter anti-Waymo sentiment.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Its argument is that insurers have been pricing wildfire risk the wrong way, by looking backward at statistics and sorting homes by zip code.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer begins as Ziegler’s Mae frantically asks family friend Benny, played by a sleepy Rob Lowe, for help after her big mistake — kissing the wrong brother between Graham Phillips’ Andrew and Elias Kacavas’ Theo.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sour. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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