sour 1 of 2

1
as in acidic
causing or characterized by the one of the four basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids the sour candy made our mouths all wrinkly inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard things started off well, but now it's all gone sour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sour
Verb
But by the time the deadline for renewal came around last summer, relations had soured. Chris Vannini, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces. Vanessa Gera, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Exhibitors’ tempers were strained by a sour first quarter at the box office, and there was an explosion of talk around longer theatrical windows, which for sure will remain an ongoing conversation. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025 My friend was so sour about my community icebreakers. Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
Verb
  • This week, President Donald Trump froze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University, angering members of the Elbow Patch Mafia around America.
    Christian Schneider, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
  • That meeting angered Israeli officials, and reportedly Dermer in particular.
    Alex Marquardt, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Make sure the soil is well-drained and acidic with pH levels ranging between 4.5-6.0. Consider laying down mulch to help the plants retain more moisture.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The warmer temperatures on the ocean surface are more acidic, which favors algae.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • With the present geopolitical situation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, landmines are making a very unpleasant comeback.
    David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2025
  • In our testing, the formula feels like a gel-serum—and doesn't get heavy, gloopy, or otherwise unpleasant.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Defense stocks were once considered socially unacceptable investments, but fund managers are slowly changing tack as the sector has rallied in recent years.
    Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Forcing Americans and small independent American companies to rely on those same tools is an unacceptable outcome of domestic legislation.
    Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In ever more apocalyptic language, Trump has sought to unify his MAGA movement with strongman pledges to defend Americans from millions of hostile foreigners seeking to storm the country and to root out enemy aliens within.
    Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
  • The film follows a ragtag group of actors (played by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, among other stars) from an ‘80s sci-fi series who aliens unexpectedly abduct during a convention appearance.
    Matt Juul, BostonGlobe.com, 7 July 2023
Adjective
  • Alice in Wonderland is the exception with a $1 billion global take, made with the acid stylings of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp when the latter was hot as hell in a pre-streaming 2010.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The company is a leading supplier of liquid and dry, acid and bicarbonate concentrates for dialysis patients in the United States.
    Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The United States and the Soviet Union were bitter adversaries during the four decade-long Cold War, competing for influence on multiple continents and arming their respective proxies from as far afield as Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua in order to enhance their power at the other's expense.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • By emphasizing short wars, strategists rely too much on initial battle plans that may not play out in practice—with bitter consequences.
    Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Five justices said the lawsuit was brought in the wrong venue.
    Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • His interrogator conceded that the police must have gotten the wrong guy and released him within weeks.
    Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sour. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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