as in estrangement
the loss of friendship or affection
the souring of the business partnership led to an ugly legal battle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in angering
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of souring
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 19 May 2026
The souring of their relationship has at times bordered on the petty and personal.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
When Mares went to work at the Ford Plant on his first three days, he was fired, charges state — adding to their souring relationship.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Holly Wade, executive director of research for the National Federation of Independent Business, said the souring of sentiment among small business owners is directly tied to the rising prices of energy, a major input cost for their operations.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2026
Similarly, in 2023 pandas living in the Edinburgh Zoo were returned to China, a move some believe may have been connected to the souring relationship between China and the United Kingdom.
—Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Isak's partner in his later years, professional golfer Estefanía Knuth, reportedly played a role in the souring of this relationship, per the investigative sources.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
This led to a souring of relations between New Delhi and Washington and was compounded by Modi sharing a stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Which sharks would best and least tolerate souring seas remains an open question.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 9 May 2026
The potential electoral wipeout may spur a leadership challenge, with the political uncertainty likely further souring investors.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
The downturn in the president's job approval is largely attributable to souring opinions about the state of the nation's economy and the progression of the United States' joint war on Iran, according to the outlet.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Moreover, for six months, sentiment around AI was souring.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
Greece probably outperformed key fiscal metrics for 2025 by at least one percentage point of output, offering leeway for aid to voters facing a souring economy, people familiar with the matter said.
—Sotiris Nikas, Bloomberg, 15 Apr. 2026
The traditionally hot spring buying season has coincided with a souring economic environment impacting the decisions of many homebuyers.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
With technology and social media dominating the lives of younger generations, Friedberg said there’s a knowledge gap in how to cultivate relationships with factories, how to use the correct terminology and how to choose souring destinations for specific product categories.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the twists of its premise soon end up souring it conceptually, resulting in rapidly-diminishing returns, with derivative formal flourishes that largely recall other, better films.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
The results are part of a larger souring of opinion towards AI, with other recent polling by YouGov and The Economist finding that more than half of Americans say AI development is happening too fast, and that the technology is largely unlikely to deliver significant universal economic gains.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 19 May 2026
The souring of their relationship has at times bordered on the petty and personal.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
When Mares went to work at the Ford Plant on his first three days, he was fired, charges state — adding to their souring relationship.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Holly Wade, executive director of research for the National Federation of Independent Business, said the souring of sentiment among small business owners is directly tied to the rising prices of energy, a major input cost for their operations.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 15 Apr. 2026
Similarly, in 2023 pandas living in the Edinburgh Zoo were returned to China, a move some believe may have been connected to the souring relationship between China and the United Kingdom.
—Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Isak's partner in his later years, professional golfer Estefanía Knuth, reportedly played a role in the souring of this relationship, per the investigative sources.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
This led to a souring of relations between New Delhi and Washington and was compounded by Modi sharing a stage with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Which sharks would best and least tolerate souring seas remains an open question.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
The local election result will not affect the composition of parliament in Westminster or change who is in government, but reflects souring sentiment on Starmer's leadership among the electorate.
—Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 9 May 2026
The potential electoral wipeout may spur a leadership challenge, with the political uncertainty likely further souring investors.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
The downturn in the president's job approval is largely attributable to souring opinions about the state of the nation's economy and the progression of the United States' joint war on Iran, according to the outlet.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Moreover, for six months, sentiment around AI was souring.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
Greece probably outperformed key fiscal metrics for 2025 by at least one percentage point of output, offering leeway for aid to voters facing a souring economy, people familiar with the matter said.
—Sotiris Nikas, Bloomberg, 15 Apr. 2026
The traditionally hot spring buying season has coincided with a souring economic environment impacting the decisions of many homebuyers.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
With technology and social media dominating the lives of younger generations, Friedberg said there’s a knowledge gap in how to cultivate relationships with factories, how to use the correct terminology and how to choose souring destinations for specific product categories.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the twists of its premise soon end up souring it conceptually, resulting in rapidly-diminishing returns, with derivative formal flourishes that largely recall other, better films.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for souring
Noun
-
The Beckhams, who sold their crash pad in One Museum Tower in downtown Miami, but maintain a spec house in Miami Beach, are said to be heartbroken about the estrangement.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
For some, the reason behind such estrangements might seem clear to both parties.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
The economic cost of the war is now palpable – with cell-phone data outages that regularly blight major cities angering even the pro-Putin bourgeoisie – adding to a sense of the war beginning to hit the urban elite, who until now were mostly isolated from the invasion’s impact.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
-
Starmer’s comments risk angering many within his party, who will take issue with his linking of antisemitism with pro-Palestinian activism.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
And this sense of mutual alienation, of being neither here nor there, that Franny and Elliott live with suggests that the political is no longer seen from a potentially abstract place and finally bleeds into realm of the personal.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
-
The case spurred scrutiny of Utah's family court system and reunification practices and sparked debates about parental alienation and how allegations of child abuse are investigated.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Being outside of rigid categories, not beholden to dominant attributes, can be alienating.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
And even at its most sincere, Amodei’s vision still comes off as alienating, even dystopian.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When Thomson went through a difficult divorce, in 2014, Djena would often check in on her, showing up at her door with food.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Created by Liz Heldens (Will Trent) and Matt Ward (Best Medicine), and set to kick off production in Los Angeles this year, the new series follows Heidi (Banks), who while fresh off a messy divorce, sets out to secure a lively second act for herself and her kids.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
One of the most consistently infuriating elements of Yellowstone was how Sheridan kept positioning the Duttons — a family of land barons with immense political power and a penchant for murder — as righteous underdogs.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
In addition to infuriating those crusty Canadian fans who hate these new-fangled markets — and to be clear, that’s also a selling point — this matchup would feature each side trying to put the ghosts of past failure to rest.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Showing the disaffection for politics and partisanship in this modern era, each of the last five midterm elections have seen presidents with ratings below 50%.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
9 May 2026
-
Our hypothetical ambitious fifteen-year-old is exceptional, of course, and certainly not the bellwether for today’s disaffection about higher education.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
So, how can an organization remain current on customers' ever-changing needs and expectations without annoying or estranging them?—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Souring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/souring. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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