Synonyms for sour
- adjective
- verb
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Acid
acid, tart, bitter, morose, sullen, dour, acrid, pungent, dark, cross, ill-tempered, peevish, acerbic, harsh, testy, cantankerous, crusty, acrimonious, moody, petulant, sharp, hard
3. Vinegary
vinegary, acidic, astringent, acetose, acetous, acidulent, acidulous, vinegarish, vitriolic
Other
curdled, off, offn US, deteriorating, inharmonious, unharmonious, sourish
Verb
Noun
Definitions
- adj. 1
Tasting of acidity.
Lemons have a sour taste.
- adj. 2
Made rancid by fermentation, etc.
Don't drink that milk; it's turned sour.
- v. 1
To make sour.
Too much lemon juice will sour the recipe.
- n. 1
The sensation of a sour taste.
Related words
- Word family
- sourberry sourish sourly sourness sourstuff sourwood
- Phrases
- sour grass sour milk sour cherry go sour sour gourd sour gum sour orange for sour apples
- Is a kind of
- gustable
Choose the right word
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.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- acid Acid rain in drinking water affects human health.
- bitter The wronged parties couldn't help but feel bitter.
- tart Peel, core and quarter two quarts of tart apples.
- deteriorating Tom's health has been deteriorating for some time.
By length
- 3 letters
- off1
- 4 letters
- work1, hard1, turn1, dark1, acid2, tart1, dour2, offn
- 5 letters
- cross1, false1, sharp1, harsh1, spoil1, moody2, stale1, musty2, testy2, acrid2
- 6 letters
- bitter2, acidic3, crusty2, rancid2, sullen2, morose2, curdle
- 7 letters
- acidity4, pungent2, ferment2, acerbic3, curdled, peevish2, acidify4, acetose, acetous, sourish, acetify
- 8 letters
- petulant3, sourness, tartness2, vinegary, embitter3, acerbate
- 9 letters
- fermented3, vitriolic4, acidulous, acidulent, acidulate
- 10 letters
- astringent3, vinegarish
- 11 letters
- acrimonious5
- 12 letters
- cantankerous4, inharmonious, unharmonious
- 13 letters
- deteriorating6
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (acid2 = 2 syllables).