Dour

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈdʊə/

Definitions

1. Marked by a stern or gloomy expression indicating a distinct absence of joy or warmth
2. Exhibiting an unfriendly and severe demeanor that suggests harshness and a lack of sociability
3. Characterized by a severe and unfriendly attitude that often conveys a sense of hopelessness and rigidity

Etymology: Scots "dour" meant "hard" or "obstinate" long before it described a face. The Scots word is probably related to Latin "dūrus", meaning "hard" or "stern", though the route between them is debated. One proposed pathway runs through Middle Irish "dúr", which may have passed the word into Scots. The Latin source also gave English "dure", a doublet that has long since fallen out of use. The sense of a hard, unyielding character came first, and the glowering expression followed from it. A person described as dour was stubbornly joyless, and that grim set of the features became the word's most familiar use. The same root lies behind French "dur", Italian "duro" and Spanish "duro", all still meaning "hard".

Synonyms: stern, gloomy, morose, sullen, harsh

Antonyms: cheerful, bright, jovial, genial, happy