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
In Reckoning, the surprisingly dour second half of 2023's Dead Reckoning, Cruise — as Ethan Hunt, the super spy he’s played for nearly 30 years — has become nothing less than Atlas, eternally braced to prevent the world from sliding down and off his back.
—
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 14 May 2025
Wall Street is in a similarly dour mood, according to the March editions of the Bank of America’s Global Fund Manager Survey and the CNBC Fed Survey.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
Generally, however, audiences appear to be in a dour mood and slow to rush out to cinemas, reviews notwithstanding, without a big studio tentpole to ground moviegoing.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
His face, much like Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) dour, unforgiving countenance, is not that of a happy man.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 14 May 2025
Wall Street is in a similarly dour mood, according to the March editions of the Bank of America’s Global Fund Manager Survey and the CNBC Fed Survey.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
Generally, however, audiences appear to be in a dour mood and slow to rush out to cinemas, reviews notwithstanding, without a big studio tentpole to ground moviegoing.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
His face, much like Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) dour, unforgiving countenance, is not that of a happy man.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dour
Adjective
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While Hornets fans were not as gruff as New York Knicks or Boston Celtics supporters, Charlotte pro basketball fans were among the leaders who posted a specific swear word.—
Kendrick Marshall,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2025
-
Paul is lovable but gruff, while Jimmy is lost and a bit broken after having lost his wife in a drunk driving accident.—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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The two men shook hands, and Mamdani slipped away looking grim.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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Appearances aren’t deceptive; the portents are grim.—
Christian Schneider,
National Review,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
It’s submerged 11 to 15 feet deep, with its stern facing the shore.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 June 2025
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Tonight: Explore! TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ★★★ Avoid arguments with others today, which might arise with Mercury in your House of Communications at odds with stern Saturn.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
Sanders’s Senate counterpart, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), is a fierce Trump critic.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
-
Meta’s big bet on Wang fits into CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to bolster his company’s AI efforts amid fierce competition from OpenAI and Google-parent Alphabet.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The unexpected combination of rugged Western elements with sleek swimwear created a striking contrast that resonated with the fashion-forward crowd.—
Cassell Ferere,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4 RM collaborations were some of the most coveted sneakers of 2024 and after a reported Air Jordan 7 RM instead turned out to be a new model known as the Jordan 92 MVP, another Air Jordan shoe is now rumored to receive the rugged restomod remaster.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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The somewhat bleak outlook was laid bare Tuesday night after the USMNT was thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland during a friendly in Nashville.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
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Instead of learning from this bleak recent history, Americans are now painfully absorbing this lesson by repeating it.—
Jonathan Haskel,
Foreign Affairs,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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Hristo Stoichkov played with an intimidating edge that could both win games and cross an unforgivable line.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers’ behavior was egregious, disruptive, and potentially intimidating.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Christian Science Monitor,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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The crowd was right on top of you there, the students rimmed the court, the very definition of a hostile environment.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2025
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That’s coupled with a more hostile political environment for diversity-forward businesses.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dour. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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