ˈdau̇](ə)r, ˈdu̇], ]ə, Scot ˈdür\ adjective
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, probably from Latin durus hard — more at dure (hard)
1. : marked by sternness or severity : harsh , forbidding
a literary mode that had slowly percolated through the crust of Puritan provincialism and imparted a certain sprightliness to a dour temper — V.L.Parrington
an imposing composition, somewhat dour and ascetic in character but full of theatrical thunder and loud declamation — Winthrop Sargeant
2. : marked by obstinacy or stubbornness : unyielding , dogged
an insistent hunger for learning and a dour and often sacrificial determination to achieve it — Walter Moberly
resisted change with a dour persistence — Russell Kirk
3. : marked by gloomy silence or ill humor : sullen
an independent individual, suspicious of strangers and frequently dour in disposition — Pamela Gulliver & P.H.Gulliver
in camp … he was silent; gloomy and dour , frequently irritable, unfriendly and hostile to everybody — C.W.M.Hart
4. chiefly Scotland
a. of weather : bleak and gloomy
b. of land : barren and infertile
Synonyms: see sullen