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
But while the trench appeared dry when seen by The News on Monday, a sour whiff of sewage could still be detected from behind home plate of the closest baseball field. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025 Like North Miami’s Rascal House today, Famous filled you up before the entrees arrived with cole slaw, pickles, sour tomatoes and breads, but to all that Famous added a bottle of seltzer and chocolate syrup for each table. Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sour
Verb
  • Other nations, angered by the new American tariffs, will impose their own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, reducing the sales of America’s most internationally competitive companies.
    Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2025
  • As the situation unfolds, Republicans are caught in a delicate balancing act, wary of angering Trump while addressing the growing backlash against his trade policies.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 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
  • As horrible, unpleasant, miserable this work was, people had the most wonderful spirit.
    Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Euphemisms are designed to obfuscate unpleasant truths.
    Zachariah Mampilly, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
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 bitter dispute recently tipped into its fourth consecutive month and has escalated.
    Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Which is really too bad because bitter is a lot more fun to watch on TV.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And it’s been even harder for my daughter, Piper, who never did anything wrong.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • However, the new price on the OnePlus store is about 50 percent higher, putting OnePlus on the wrong side of devices like the Pixel Watch and Apple Watch.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 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 16 Apr. 2025.

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