ər adjective
1.
sullen; gloomy: The captain's dour look depressed us all.
2.
severe; stern: His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.
3.
Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To dour
Collins
World English Dictionary
dour (dʊə, ˈdaʊə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | sullen |
| 2. | hard or obstinate |
| [C14: probably from Latin dūrus hard] | |
| 'dourly | |
| —adv | |
| 'dourness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Dour
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | dour1 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | extremely serious and stern; forbidding |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour2 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | gloomy, sullen |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour3 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | stubborn and obstinate |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Main Entry: | dour4 |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | bleak and gloomy |
| Etymology: | Latin durus 'hard' |
| Usage: | meteorology |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dour
late 14c., "severe," from Scottish and northern England dialect, probably from L. durus "hard" (see endure); sense of "gloomy" is late 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Appreciate their light-heartedness and enjoy their presence in a class that can too often be populated with dour students.
The dour economic tale being told is not inevitable.
Academics sometimes forget that and think that to sound smart you have to be dour.
Having fun, mixing cultures, partying till dawn are all wonderful human activities that these dour murderers loathe.
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