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Definition of sour adjective from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    sour

     adjective
    adjective
    NAmE//ˈsaʊər//
     
     
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  1. 1having a taste like that of a lemon or of fruit that is not ready to eat sour apples a sour flavor opposite sweet see sweet-and-sour Thesaurusbitter
    • sour
    • pungent
    • sharp
    • acidic
    • tart
    These words all describe a strong, unpleasant taste or smell.
    • bitter (of a taste or smell) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or drink) having a bitter taste.
    • sour (of a taste) like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ripe; (of food or drink) having a sour taste:Too much pulp produces a sour wine.
    • pungent (of a taste or smell) very strong, like the taste or smell of garlic or mustard:the pungent taste of onions
    • sharp (of a taste or smell) strong and biting; (of food or drink) having a sharp taste:He prefers a very sharp cheddar cheese.
    • acidic (of a taste) bitter, like the taste of lemons or vinegar; (of food or drink) having an acidic taste.
    • tart sour, but often in a pleasant way:The lemon pie is both sweet and slightly tart.
    which word?
    • A bitter taste is usually unpleasant, but some people enjoy the bitter flavor of coffee or chocolate. No other word can describe this flavor. A sharp or pungent flavor is very strong and sometimes unpleasant; these words are used especially to describe cheese. Sour and acidic both describe the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ripe.
    Patterns
    • a(n) bitter/sour/pungent/sharp/acidic/tart taste/flavor
    • a bitter/pungent/sharp smell/odor
    • a bitter/sour/sharp/tart fruit
    • pungent/sharp cheese
  2. 2(especially of milk) having an unpleasant taste or smell because it is not fresh to turn/go sour a sour smell Thesaurusbitter
    • sour
    • pungent
    • sharp
    • acidic
    • tart
    These words all describe a strong, unpleasant taste or smell.
    • bitter (of a taste or smell) strong and usually unpleasant; (of food or drink) having a bitter taste.
    • sour (of a taste) like the taste of a lemon or of fruit that is not ripe; (of food or drink) having a sour taste:Too much pulp produces a sour wine.
    • pungent (of a taste or smell) very strong, like the taste or smell of garlic or mustard:the pungent taste of onions
    • sharp (of a taste or smell) strong and biting; (of food or drink) having a sharp taste:He prefers a very sharp cheddar cheese.
    • acidic (of a taste) bitter, like the taste of lemons or vinegar; (of food or drink) having an acidic taste.
    • tart sour, but often in a pleasant way:The lemon pie is both sweet and slightly tart.
    which word?
    • A bitter taste is usually unpleasant, but some people enjoy the bitter flavor of coffee or chocolate. No other word can describe this flavor. A sharp or pungent flavor is very strong and sometimes unpleasant; these words are used especially to describe cheese. Sour and acidic both describe the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ripe.
    Patterns
    • a(n) bitter/sour/pungent/sharp/acidic/tart taste/flavor
    • a bitter/pungent/sharp smell/odor
    • a bitter/sour/sharp/tart fruit
    • pungent/sharp cheese
  3. 3(of people) not cheerful; bad-tempered and unpleasant a sour and disillusioned woman a sour face The meeting ended on a sour note with several people walking out.
sourly
 
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adverb “Who asked you?” he said sourly.
sourness
 
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noun [uncountable] the sourness of the fruit his increasing sournessIdioms
go/turn sour
 
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to stop being pleasant or working correctly Their relationship soon went sour.
sour grapes (saying)
 
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used to show that you think someone is jealous and is pretending that something is not important He said he didn't want the job anyway, but that's just sour grapes.See sour in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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