sourness

noun

Definition of sournessnext
as in coldness

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 sourness The first leg will be the ever-popular third-place playoff, in which a couple of morose losers compete for no trophy at all and a chance to show off the superior sourness of their grapes. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 Any sourness of musty odor is a red flag. — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 24 June 2026 The pomegranate molasses in the dressing adds a natural sweet-and-sourness that goes well with the beetroot, complementing both the cooling yoghurt and the heat of the pul biber oil. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 May 2026 And the custardy texture somehow imprints a more pronounced, wholly pleasant sourness. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026 Salty chips and sour candies Your perception of saltiness and sourness happens a little differently. — Linda Bartoshuk, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026 Most varieties are made by straining out excess whey from yogurt, which renders a thicker consistency while retaining the same zing of bright sourness. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sourness
  1. coldness
  2. surliness
  3. incivility
  4. severity
  5. iciness
  6. rudeness
  7. impoliteness
  8. sternness
Noun
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The music recalled the angst and coldness of Carpenter’s movie scores but with more robust arrangements, buttressed by Davies’ guitar.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of coldness
Noun
  • Despite Nora’s initial surliness, Alice wins her over a bit by offering her blazer to a young witness who is supposed to appear in court the next day.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • Dani’s surliness has evaporated.
    — Harpers Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of surliness
Noun
  • The rest of the film makes very clear what Nolan thinks of such incivility, primarily through its depiction of Odysseus himself.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
  • We are encouraged to indulge our delusions about replacement theory and white male superiority and to surrender to our instincts toward incivility and division.
    — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of incivility
Noun
  • Following a major hailstorm, for example, connected property intelligence can help carriers quickly assess affected neighborhoods, triage claims based on severity and deploy field resources where they're needed most.
    — David Tobias, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The 24-year-old Italian pulled out of this week’s Cincinnati Open with the same issue, and has been undergoing medical tests in Milan and Turin throughout August to assess its severity.
    — James Hansen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of severity
Noun
  • His smug iciness here would serve him well playing both Patrick Bateman and Bruce Wayne.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of iciness
Noun
  • The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Tell her about the long, unwelcome chats, the bullying and the rudeness.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
Definition of rudeness
Noun
  • In a country where promising companies routinely exit at the first serious offer, refusing to sell was its own act of impoliteness.
    — Kumaran Nadesan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of impoliteness
Noun
  • Saura had a large sense of the humor, which struck those who got to know him, belying the sternness of his public visage with his playful banter and frequent chuckle.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Definition of sternness

Browse Nearby Words

sourly
sourness
sourpuss
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sourness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sourness. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All