This week’s theme
Words to describe people

This week’s words
stolid
ascetic
dour
intractable
lissom

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(rhymes with tour; DOU-uhr)

MEANING:

adjective: Sullen; severe; gloomy; stubborn.

ETYMOLOGY:

Probably from Latin durus (hard). Earliest documented use: 1425.

USAGE:

“Though Herman Van Rompuy is characterised as ascetic, even dour, by nature, allies point to his penchant for crafting haiku, the seventeen-syllable Japanese poems, as evidence of a lighter side.”
Stanley Pignal; Lesser Light Respected as Skilled Mediator; Financial Times (London, UK); Nov 7, 2009.

See more usage examples of dour in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: