Sour — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈsau̇(-ə)r/

Meaning & Definition of Sour

Sour (adjective)

  1. being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids and is characteristic of lemon juice
  2. having the acid taste or smell of or as if of fermentation, turned
  3. of or relating to fermentation

Sour (noun)

  1. something sour
  2. the taste sensation produced chiefly by acids
  3. a cocktail consisting of a liquor (such as whiskey), lemon or lime juice, sugar, and sometimes ice

Sour (verb)

  1. to become sour
  2. to make sour

Sour (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to change from friendly or loving to unfriendly or uncaring

    "a misunderstanding that soured their relationship for a long time"

    similar: alien, alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, estrange
    related: antagonize, embitter, envenom, aggravate, anger, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, break up, dissociate, disunite, divide, separate, sever, split, sunder, uncouple, unlink, unyoke, disappoint, disenchant, disillusion, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, exasperate, gall, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pique, vex
    opposite: reconcile
    near: endear, ingratiate, appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate

Sour (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: acid, acidic, acidulous, sourish, tart, tartish, vinegary
    related: dry, soured, unsweetened, pungent, sharp, tangy, zestful, zesty, zingy, astringent, puckery, hyperacid
    near: sweet, bland, smooth, flat, flavorless, insipid, savorless, tasteless, zestless, dilute, thin, watery, weak

  2. not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

    "you'll have to face up to the sour truth of the matter"

    similar: bad, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky, nasty, rotten, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, wicked, yucky
    related: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, bilious, disgusting, dreadful, foul, ghastly, gnarly (slang), god-awful, gross, hateful, hellish, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, scandalous, seamy, shocking, sick, sickening, ugly, unholy, vile, villainous, aggravating, annoying, galling, irritating, vexing, crappy (slang), cruddy, crummy, lousy, miserable, sucky (slang), wretched
    opposite: agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome
    near: delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, amiable, charming, cheery, friendly, jolly, kindly, sweet

  3. falling short of a standard

    "things started off well, but now it's all gone sour"

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

Related Entry: Sour grapes (plural noun)

Sour grapes is a different word from Sour. The synonyms below are for sour grapes, not for sour.

  1. unfair criticism that comes from someone who is disappointed about not getting something

    "His remarks are nothing but sour grapes."

    similar: jealousy, pique, resentment, acidity, acidness, acridity, acridness, acrimony, asperity, bile, bitterness, cattiness, corrosiveness, mordancy, tartness, virulence, virulency, vitriol, gruffness, harshness, hostility, relentlessness, severity, sternness, vehemence, coldness, crossness, discourteousness, iciness, impoliteness, incivility, nastiness, rudeness, sourness, surliness, ungraciousness, anger, animosity, gall, jaundice, malevolence, malice, rancor, scorn, spite, spleen, venom, vindictiveness
    opposite: civility, cordiality, courtesy, diplomacy, geniality, graciousness, kindness, politeness, tactfulness, compassion, softness, sweetness, sympathy, tenderness, warmth, oiliness, smoothness, suaveness, suavity, unctuousness, urbanity

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sour

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sour:

Slang: wack
alien, alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, estrange, acid, acidic, acidulous, sourish, tart, tartish, vinegary, bad, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky, nasty, rotten, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, wicked, yucky, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sour

Words with the opposite meaning of Sour:

reconcile, agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome, acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable

Related Words for Sour

antagonize, embitter, envenom, aggravate, anger, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, break up, dissociate, disunite, divide, separate, sever, split, sunder, uncouple, unlink, unyoke, disappoint, disenchant, disillusion, annoy, bother

Near Antonyms of Sour

endear, ingratiate, appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, sweet, bland, smooth, flat, flavorless, insipid, savorless, tasteless, zestless, dilute, thin, watery, weak, delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, amiable, charming, cheery

Word Forms of Sour

Inflections: soured, souring, sours

Derived words: sourish (adjective), sourly (adverb), sourness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Sour

Middle English, from Old English sūr; akin to Old High German sūr sour, Lithuanian sūrus salty

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Sour

  • Topics: Food & Drinks

Words & Phrases Containing Sour

sour ball, sour cherry, sour cream, sour grapes, sour grass, sour gum, sour mash

Frequently Asked Questions about Sour

What does "Sour" mean?

"Sour" means being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids and is characteristic of lemon juice. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is produced chiefly by acids and is characteristic of lemon juice. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sour"?

Other words for "Sour" include alien, alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, estrange, acid, acidic and acidulous. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sour" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sour"?

There are 215 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sour". Common alternatives include alien, alienate, disaffect, disgruntle, estrange, acid, acidic, acidulous, sourish and tart.

What is the opposite of "Sour"?

Antonyms of "Sour" include reconcile, agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice and palatable. Near antonyms include endear, ingratiate, appease and conciliate.

How do you use "Sour" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sour" in a sentence: "a misunderstanding that soured their relationship for a long time"; "the sour candy made our mouths all wrinkly inside"; "you'll have to face up to the sour truth of the matter".

Is "Sour" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Sour" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Sour"?

"Sour" is pronounced /ˈsau̇(-ə)r/.

What is the origin of the word "Sour"?

"Sour" comes from Middle English, from Old English sūr; akin to Old High German sūr sour, Lithuanian sūrus salty. First known use: before 12th century.