dour
adjective
2
: obstinate, unyielding
an insistent hunger for learning and a dour … determination to achieve it—
Walter Moberly
Walter Moberly
dourly
adverb
dourness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of dour in a Sentence
She had a dour expression on her face.
the dour mood of the crowd
Recent Examples on the Web
But consumers have proved dour, unwilling to give President Biden much credit because of the sting of recent high inflation and continuing sky-high housing costs.
—Oli Turner, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2024
The first period began in 2010, when Prime Minister David Cameron, leading a coalition government consisting of the Conservatives and the centrist Liberal Democrats, moved into 10 Downing Street, ending 13 years of Labour rule under Tony Blair and his dour successor Gordon Brown.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 2 July 2024
With Mom wobbly on her axis, the dour girl’s gravity stabilizes their home.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
Related article Against the backdrop of war, Ukraine hopes to show the ‘spirit of our nation’ at Euro 2024
Ukraine suffered a chastening defeat in its opening group game on Monday, producing a dour display in a 3-0 defeat against Romania.
—Ben Church, CNN, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dour 
Oli Turner, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2024
The first period began in 2010, when Prime Minister David Cameron, leading a coalition government consisting of the Conservatives and the centrist Liberal Democrats, moved into 10 Downing Street, ending 13 years of Labour rule under Tony Blair and his dour successor Gordon Brown.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 2 July 2024
With Mom wobbly on her axis, the dour girl’s gravity stabilizes their home.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
Related article Against the backdrop of war, Ukraine hopes to show the ‘spirit of our nation’ at Euro 2024
Ukraine suffered a chastening defeat in its opening group game on Monday, producing a dour display in a 3-0 defeat against Romania.
—Ben Church, CNN, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for dour
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dour
Cite this Entry
“Dour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dour. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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