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
Years of legal battles have soured their relationship to such a degree that Hook isn’t inclined to take the podium with them to accept the honor. — Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026 Per People, Oxenberg was candid about her role souring her relationship with the royal family. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 23 Aug. 2026
Adjective
But rhetoric turned sour by the weekend, with each side blaming the other for failing to reach an agreement and for unfair trade practices. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 Their one-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week was the eighth straight, and this one left a sour taste after the Chiefs fell behind late and put themselves in a position to take the lead. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 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
  • That angered Michigan Democrats who were frustrated with El-Sayed, and brought Jeffries and other Democrats into the fray, putting the candidate El-Sayed had invested the most in on the defensive.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The president is defending the data center boom as GOP officials across the country turn against projects that have angered voters.
    — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of anger
Adjective
  • That’s because acidic foods such as tomatoes and oranges may react with aluminum foil, causing a metallic taste or slight discoloration, but don’t worry.
    — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
  • If the pH gets too acidic, nitrogen uptake is greatly reduced, leading to a deficiency in the plant, even if there’s plenty of nitrogen in the potting soil.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of acidic
Adjective
  • Activewear After sweating it out in your beloved activewear, avoid using the hotter temperatures in the washing machine to sanitize and remove unpleasant odors.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The mediocre screen was an unpleasant surprise given that this thing advertised 100 percent sRGB gamut coverage when it was announced and on its product page for many weeks (the Internet Archive captures it here).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Carney has called that demand unacceptable and a question of Canadian sovereignty.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Custard said, for the public, all this adds up to unacceptable risk.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Verb
  • The White House’s abrupt decision last week to ease tariffs on 300,000 metric tons — more than 660 million pounds — of foreign beef imports has infuriated American cattle ranchers and congressional Republicans alike.
    — Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The heated rhetoric has infuriated and astonished most Canadians; in a recent poll, seventy-six per cent supported the decision of the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, to walk away from trade talks with Washington.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Adjective
  • 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
  • In a sequencer that resembled a large fridge, millions of short nucleic-acid fragments would be identified in the span of ten hours.
    — Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of acid
Adjective
  • Trump has declined so far to endorse a successor, opting to keep his cards close ahead of what’s likely to be a bitter race.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026
  • If more than a small portion is green, or the potato smells off, feels soft, or tastes bitter after cooking, discard it.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • Remember, taking the wrong benefit at the wrong time is always smaller and forever.
    — Thomas Hager, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Therefore, therapy should do more than help people identify what’s wrong with their relationships.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All