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
For retailers and brands, the implications include direct attacks on their customers that can severely damage the relationship by souring the shopping experience. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 7 July 2026 Getting traded to the Charlotte Hornets in February apparently was a life-changing experience for White, a good way to reinvigorate some competitive juices that soured a bit during his final days playing for the Chicago Bulls. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Adjective
The best tortillas tasted distinctly of corn, with natural sweetness and earthy, toasted notes, while avoiding sour or flat flavors. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 July 2026 The ideal fermentation time varies based on temperature, but when the liquid starts to smell slightly sour, the rice water is considered fermented. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
Verb
  • However, the cyclops was a son of Poseidon, and this attack angered the sea god.
    Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • News reporting about the new plane’s security deficiencies angered the president and triggered a sprawling leak investigation.
    Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Adjective
  • The Venus flytrap is native only to the coastal wetlands and bogs of North Carolina and South Carolina, and grows naturally in nutrient-poor, acidic, and perpetually wet areas.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026
  • Earlier studies also showed that slightly acidic seawater from the BPMED process can accelerate algae growth, and allow future systems to simultaneously recover minerals while producing chemicals, fuels, fertilizers, and biomass.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Adjective
  • Anyone concerned about coming down with this very unpleasant sickness should avoid lettuces for the time being, says Rabia de Latour, a gastroenterologist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
    Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 July 2026
  • Like them, his music seesaws between aggressive and playful, between crowd-pleasing and purposefully unpleasant.
    Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
Adjective
  • Critics say such plans are wholly unacceptable because light pollution from so many large, bright satellites would radically degrade views of the night sky.
    Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 2026
  • For the union, this is unacceptable and yet another issue their members are facing.
    Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Speaking to them on the phone is infuriating since most of the conversation is about what’s going on with Kaden.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • A week before Wembanyama agreed to that contract, the Boston Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to the division-rival Philadelphia 76ers for a surprisingly meager package, which infuriated much of their fanbase.
    Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Adjective
  • Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with an acid attack on six women in Jersey City, New Jersey, last month, public safety officials said.
    Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 15 July 2026
  • Over several decades, hundreds and hundreds of tons — hundreds of thousands of gallons — of acid waste from the pesticide DDT and even DDT itself were dumped into the ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula and near Catalina Island.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Adjective
  • These models are typically not trained on or constrained by explicit physics rules, data, or simulations—remember, the bitter lesson.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
  • The increasingly bitter contest will be among the next races where progressive candidates are facing more moderate rivals.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Adjective
  • First, the medals were the wrong colour; this was the ‘Bronze Final’ after all.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • That turned out to be wrong for a meaningful minority of them, whose brains were generating signals our methods were not sensitive enough to pick up.
    Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sour. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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