adjective

dour

DOOR/dʊr/

Stern, gloomy, or unfriendly in manner or appearance.

The dour caretaker stands by the gate with folded arms and a downturned mouth.

A stern older white caretaker with downturned mouth and folded arms stands by a plain gate, no hostility or caricature.

Etymology

Dour probably comes from Latin durus, “hard.” Applied to people, that hardness describes a stern, fierce manner, which developed into the sense “gloomy, sullen.”

In context

San Francisco Public Library46:55

from dour Expressions to Broad smiles and this tradition is still to this day is carried on by Grassroots political campaigns

Harvey Milk: A Personal View by Photographer Dan Nicoletta

More examples

Despite his dour manner, he is generous with his time.
She looks increasingly dour as the meeting drags on.
His dour face brightens when his grandchildren arrive.

Forms

dour · dourer · dourest

dourly adverb — In a stern, gloomy, or unfriendly way.

dourness noun — The quality of appearing stern or gloomy.

Similar words

stern: Emphasizes strictness and seriousness rather than gloom or unfriendliness.
glum: Emphasizes unhappiness or disappointment rather than a forbidding manner.
sullen: Suggests resentful silence rather than simply a stern appearance.