as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
a dour prison guard who didn't look like he'd be very understanding
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dour
The Dallas Fed’s analysis wasn’t entirely dour.
—
Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026
Wednesday’s dour stalemate with Leeds United at Anfield represented a wretched start to 2026.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Still, most of the promotional material around the movie sidelined the ever-dour Alex Garland and his real-life veteran co-writer, Ray Mendoza, in favor of gimmicks like Michael Gandolfini introducing his co-stars.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
No, not the 1987 movie that twisted the dour, dystopian source material into quip-laden cheese-whiz for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026
Wednesday’s dour stalemate with Leeds United at Anfield represented a wretched start to 2026.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Still, most of the promotional material around the movie sidelined the ever-dour Alex Garland and his real-life veteran co-writer, Ray Mendoza, in favor of gimmicks like Michael Gandolfini introducing his co-stars.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
No, not the 1987 movie that twisted the dour, dystopian source material into quip-laden cheese-whiz for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
-
The characters are well developed and unpredictable—perhaps none more so than John Stone, Nasir’s gruff public-defense attorney.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Also present was the gruff playwright.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
County public health officials painted a grim picture of what life looks like for the poorest and sickest residents if new money doesn’t flow into the system.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Reddit boards hosting discussions of the case offer grim evidence of the concession.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That way, your ideas can land without sounding stern.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Carro ended the hearing with a stern directive to defense lawyers, who repeatedly pushed back on the June 8 trial date.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Chen describes it as more agile and less intimidating.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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That is very intimidating to a lot of guys, so a guy needs to be able to stand in that with me.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Kam and O'Shea exceeded all expectations with a performance characterized by spectacular lifts and fierce musicality.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Then, in the middle of a fierce snowstorm, a skinny little girl and her dog show up at the resort.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There are also giant granite boulders dotting the shore, giving it a decidedly remote, rugged feel.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
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Both the Hangout Shade 7 and Hangout Shade 10 feature the rugged, adventure-ready Aerotech PVC inflatable construction that features throughout Bote's product line.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Internet connectivity has been partially restored, but experts are warning that, even on the other side of the digital blackout, the outlook for Iranian internet access remains bleak.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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In Havana, reaction to the president's upcoming contingency plan to grapple with fuel shortages was bleak.—
Orlando Matos,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The hostile bid came as Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna, in a $6 billion transaction that would run afoul of the FCC’s 39% ownership cap; Nexstar has filed for a waiver to the ownership cap.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer’s celebration of Hispanic culture could hardly have arrived at a more hostile moment for Latinos.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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