sourness

noun

Definition of sournessnext
as in coldness

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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 house was a metaphor for the coldness of a relationship that’s faded and atrophied.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 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
  • Minneola City Councilman David Yeager’s efforts to annex his new home into the city earlier this summer sparked a nasty debate on the council that led to two members being censured last week for incivility.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Even before Hamilton decided to run, he was bothered by the increasing incivility in American politics.
    — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of incivility
Noun
  • Among various scientific projects, his NCBRS Worldwide Foundation is partnering with the University of Dusseldorf to map the variance in the severity of symptoms seen across NCBRS patients.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • However, baseline motor and cognitive measures were similar among participants in the new study, and the associations were still apparent after researchers adjusted for disease severity.
    — Jennifer Fields, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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