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sour
[ souuhr, sou-er ]
adjective
- having an acid taste, resembling that of vinegar, lemon juice, etc.; tart.
Antonyms: sweet
- rendered acid or affected by fermentation; fermented.
- producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not bitter, salt, or sweet.
- characteristic of something fermented:
a sour smell.
- distasteful or disagreeable; unpleasant.
Synonyms: unsatisfactory, subpar, suboptimal, bitter
- below standard; poor:
It was a sour effort all around, the kind of effort that doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
- Agriculture. (of soil) having excessive acidity.
- (of gasoline or the like) contaminated by sulfur compounds.
- Music. off-pitch; badly produced:
a sour note.
noun
- something that is sour.
- any of various cocktails consisting typically of whiskey or gin with lemon or lime juice and sugar and sometimes soda water, often garnished with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry, or both.
- any of various beers with a particularly acidic or tart taste, made so by acid-producing bacteria and yeast in the brew:
Sours are a good choice to go with deep-fried bar food.
- an acid or an acidic substance used in laundering and bleaching to neutralize alkalis and to decompose residual soap or bleach.
verb (used without object)
- to become sour, rancid, mildewed, etc.; spoil:
Milk sours quickly in warm weather. The laundry soured before it was ironed.
- to become unpleasant or strained; worsen; deteriorate:
Relations between the two countries have soured.
- to become bitter, disillusioned, or disinterested:
I guess I soured when I learned he was married.
My loyalty soured after his last book.
- Agriculture. (of soil) to develop excessive acidity.
verb (used with object)
- to make sour; cause sourness in:
What do they use to sour the mash?
- to cause spoilage in; rot:
Defective cartons soured the apples.
- to make bitter, disillusioned, or disagreeable:
One misadventure needn't have soured him. That swindle soured a great many potential investors.
sour
1/ ˈsaʊə /
adjective
- having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegar Compare bitter
- made acid or bad, as in the case of milk or alcohol, by the action of microorganisms
- having a rancid or unwholesome smell
- (of a person's temperament) sullen, morose, or disagreeable
- (esp of the weather or climate) harsh and unpleasant
- disagreeable; distasteful
a sour experience
- (of land, etc) lacking in fertility, esp due to excessive acidity
- (of oil, gas, or petrol) containing a relatively large amount of sulphur compounds
- go sour or turn sourto become unfavourable or inharmonious
his marriage went sour
noun
- something sour
- any of several iced drinks usually made with spirits, lemon juice, and ice
a whiskey sour
- an acid used in laundering and bleaching clothes or in curing animal skins
verb
- to make or become sour
Sour
2/ sʊə /
noun
- a variant spelling of Sur
Derived Forms
- ˈsourish, adjective
- ˈsourness, noun
- ˈsourly, adverb
Other Words From
- sour·ish adjective
- sour·ly adverb
- sour·ness noun
- o·ver·sour adjective
- o·ver·sour·ly adverb
- o·ver·sour·ness noun
- un·sour adjective
- un·sour·ly adverb
- un·sour·ness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of sour1
Word History and Origins
Origin of sour1
Example Sentences
He is moving there as relations between the West and the US sour under Donald Trump's presidency, with Newmark suggesting a so-called peace deal would not be in Ukraine's interests.
Joan Didion fell in love with movies as a girl but would sour on Hollywood after working there, Alissa Wilkinson writes in ‘We Tell Ourselves Stories.’
However, a year on, the relationship with some supporters has soured.
It was incredibly sweet and slightly sour and fruity, reminding me of lemon sherbet.
The souring mood among US consumers was largely attributed to concerns over inflation and economic disruptions caused by rising tariffs.
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