Synonyms for sour
saʊər, ˈsaʊ ərsour

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sour

   Acid, sour, and bitter agree in being contrasted with sweet, but the two former are sharply distinguished from the latter. Acid or sour is the taste of vinegar or lemon-juice; bitter that of quassia, quinine, or strychnine. Acrid is nearly allied to bitter. Pungent suggests the effect of pepper or snuff on the organs of taste or smell; as, a pungent odor. Caustic indicates the corroding effect of some strong chemical, as nitrate of silver. In a figurative sense, as applied to language or character, these words are very closely allied. We say a sour face, sharp words, bitter complaints, caustic wit, cutting irony, biting sarcasm, a stinging taunt, harsh judgment, a tart reply. Harsh carries the idea of intentional and severe unkindness, bitter of a severity that arises from real or supposed ill treatment. The bitter speech springs from the sore heart. Tart and sharp utterances may not proceed from an intention to wound, but merely from a wit recklessly keen; cutting, stinging, and biting speech indicates more or less of hostile intent, the latter being the more deeply malicious. The caustic utterance is meant to burn, perhaps wholesomely, as in the satire of Juvenal or Cervantes. Compare MOROSE.

   Synonyms:
   acerb, acetous, acid, acidulated, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, biting, bitter, caustic, cutting, harsh, irate, pungent, savage, sharp, stinging, tart, vinegarish, virulent

   Antonyms:
   dulcet, honeyed, luscious, nectared, saccharine, sweet

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sour

   Synonyms:
   tart, rancid, coagulated, turned, harsh, crabbed, austere, morose, pungent, crusty, acid, churlish, bitter, acetous, acrimonious, peevish

   Antonyms:
   sweet, wholesome, untainted, mellow, genial, kindly

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sournoun

   a cocktail made of a liquor (especially whiskey or gin) mixed with lemon or lime juice and sugar

   Synonyms:
   tartness, sourness, acidity

   Antonyms:
   tasteless, fragrant, saccharine, sweet, unsoured, sweetish, good-natured, treacly, harmonious, syrupy, cloying, sweeten, dulcify, edulcorate, dulcorate

2. sour, sourness, tartnessnoun

   the taste experience when vinegar or lemon juice is taken into the mouth

   Synonyms:
   sourness, acrimony, moroseness, sulkiness, bitterness, acidity, tartness, sullenness, jaundice, acerbity, thorniness

   Antonyms:
   unsoured, sweet, tasteless, sweetish, saccharine, good-natured, cloying, harmonious, treacly, fragrant, syrupy, edulcorate, dulcorate, dulcify, sweeten

3. sourness, sour, acidityadjective

   the property of being acidic

   Synonyms:
   sourness, moroseness, sulkiness, acidulousness, acidity, tartness, sullenness

   Antonyms:
   treacly, sweet, cloying, sweetish, harmonious, good-natured, tasteless, fragrant, saccharine, unsoured, syrupy, dulcify, dulcorate, edulcorate, sweeten

4. sour, rancidadjective

   smelling of fermentation or staleness

   Synonyms:
   off-key, sullen, rancid, off, glowering, morose, dour, dark, false, moody, turned, saturnine, glum

   Antonyms:
   harmonious, cloying, fragrant, tasteless, sweet, treacly, sweetish, unsoured, good-natured, syrupy, saccharine, sweeten, edulcorate, dulcorate, dulcify

5. souradjective

   having a sharp biting taste

   Synonyms:
   off-key, sullen, rancid, off, glowering, morose, dour, dark, false, moody, turned, saturnine, glum

   Antonyms:
   treacly, harmonious, saccharine, fragrant, sweet, syrupy, sweetish, cloying, good-natured, tasteless, unsoured, sweeten, edulcorate, dulcify, dulcorate

6. souradjective

   one of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of vinegar or lemons

   Synonyms:
   off-key, sullen, rancid, off, glowering, morose, dour, dark, false, moody, turned, saturnine, glum

   Antonyms:
   unsoured, treacly, tasteless, cloying, syrupy, sweet, saccharine, fragrant, sweetish, good-natured, harmonious, edulcorate, sweeten, dulcorate, dulcify

7. off, sour, turnedadjective

   in an unpalatable state

   "sour milk"

   Synonyms:
   cancelled, off-key, sullen, rancid, off, glowering, morose, dour, dark, false, moody, turned, saturnine, glum

   Antonyms:
   syrupy, good-natured, unsoured, harmonious, cloying, saccharine, treacly, fragrant, sweetish, sweet, tasteless, dulcify, sweeten, dulcorate, edulcorate

8. false, off-key, souradjective

   inaccurate in pitch

   "a false (or sour) note"; "her singing was off key"

   Synonyms:
   off-key, fake, saturnine, turned, mistaken, imitation, delusive, fictive, morose, simulated, put on, dark, off, false, moody, assumed, rancid, dour, sullen, faux, fictitious, sham, glowering, pretended, glum, untrue

   Antonyms:
   cloying, tasteless, harmonious, saccharine, good-natured, unsoured, treacly, sweet, fragrant, sweetish, syrupy, dulcorate, edulcorate, dulcify, sweeten

9. dark, dour, glowering, glum, moody, morose, saturnine, sour, sullenverb

   showing a brooding ill humor

   "a dark scowl"; "the proverbially dour New England Puritan"; "a glum, hopeless shrug"; "he sat in moody silence"; "a morose and unsociable manner"; "a saturnine, almost misanthropic young genius"- Bruce Bliven; "a sour temper"; "a sullen crowd"

   Synonyms:
   pertinacious, heavy, forbidding, glum, sullen, dogged, dark, moody, non-white, temperamental, threatening, coloured, disconsolate, dark-skinned, black, gloomy, drear, benighted, off, blue, glowering, obscure, sinister, turned, grim, saturnine, tenacious, off-key, dour, false, unyielding, sorry, drab, dingy, dreary, dismal, persistent, lowering, rancid, morose

   Antonyms:
   treacly, saccharine, cloying, tasteless, good-natured, fragrant, syrupy, sweet, sweetish, harmonious, unsoured, sweeten, dulcorate, dulcify, edulcorate

10. sour, turn, ferment, workverb

    go sour or spoil

    "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out"

    Synonyms:
    knead, bend, operate, wrick, process, work, deform, shape, change state, figure out, move around, twist, work out, release, run, wreak, function, rick, call on, acidify, lick, forge, solve, flex, act, wrench, become, form, plow, acetify, mould, exploit, go, grow, sprain, play, do work, make for, mold, bring, change by reversal, puzzle out, put to work, turn over, reverse, crop, exercise, ferment, cultivate, work on, act upon, turn, influence, acidulate, plough, make

    Antonyms:
    harmonious, tasteless, cloying, good-natured, saccharine, treacly, unsoured, fragrant, sweetish, syrupy, sweet, sweeten, edulcorate, dulcorate, dulcify

11. sour, acidify, acidulate, acetifyverb

    make sour or more sour

    Synonyms:
    acidulate, acidify, turn, ferment, acetify, work

    Antonyms:
    cloying, sweetish, good-natured, syrupy, tasteless, harmonious, saccharine, treacly, fragrant, sweet, unsoured, sweeten, edulcorate, dulcorate, dulcify

Matched Categories

1. • Change Taste
   • Cocktail
   • Taste

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. souradjective

   Synonyms:
   acid, tart, pricked

2. souradjective

   Synonyms:
   cross, crabbed, morose, surly, testy, touchy, cantankerous, crusty, fretful, peevish, petulant, pettish, snappish, waspish, snarling, cynical, froward, uncivil, rude, rough, harsh, ill-tempered, ill-natured

3. sourverb

   Synonyms:
   make acid, turn sour

4. sourverb

   Synonyms:
   imbitter, make cross

5. sourverb

   Synonyms:
   turn sour, become acid

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. souradjective

   Synonyms:
   acid, tart, acetose, acerbitous, acrid, rancid, musty, curdled, loppered, imbittered, morose, misanthropic, unamiable, dour, cynical, surly, grum, austere, crabbed, cross

2. sourverb

   Synonyms:
   curdle, acidify, lopper, spoil, acidulate, imbitter, embitter

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "sour":

   vinegar, crema, acid, bitter, sulphurous, corrosive, tyre

Suggested Resources

1. sour

   Song lyrics by sour -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sour on the Lyrics.com website.

2. SOUR

   What does SOUR stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SOUR acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce sour?

How to say sour in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use sour in a sentence?

1. Randy Frederick:

   The futures weren't looking too good and that retail report didn't do it any good, it took a big nosedive after that, yesterday it was amazing because it started out so strong and ended up on a very sour note, and we just now see a continuation of that. It doesn't look like it's going to be a pretty day at this point.

2. Alice May Brock:

   Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.

3. John Fout:

   We want people to think outside the box when it comes to yogurt. Whether you use it as a marinade [the acid in yogurt tenderize meat without cooking it like juice], a replacement for sour cream or a sauce on its own.

4. Hikaru Sato:

   Though the Nikkei has recovered a bit since the bottom hit on Brexit, market sentiment is still sour.

5. Alice May Brock:

   Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese garlic makes it good.