Standard Lemma guide

sourness

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition or quality of being sour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a sullen moody resentful disposition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sulkiness, sullenness, moroseness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ill nature

3

noun

Meaning 3

the property of being acidic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sour, acidity

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: taste property

Narrower terms: acerbity, tartness, vinegariness, vinegarishness

4

noun

Meaning 4

the taste experience when vinegar or lemon juice is taken into the mouth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sour, tartness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: taste, taste sensation, gustatory sensation, taste perception, gustatory perception

Narrower terms: acidity, acidulousness

History

Etymology

From Middle English sowrenesse, sournesse, from Old English sūrnes (“sourness”), equivalent to sour + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: ጐምዛዛነት (gwämzazanät) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Catalan: agror — condition or quality of being sour
  • Catalan: acidesa — condition or quality of being sour
  • Chinese Mandarin: 酸味 (suānwèi) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Dutch: zerpte — condition or quality of being sour
  • Dutch: zuurte — condition or quality of being sour
  • Finnish: happamuus — condition or quality of being sour
  • Georgian: სიმჟავე (simžave) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Greek: αγουράδα (agouráda) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Greek: αγουρίλα (agouríla) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Greek: ξινίλα (xiníla) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Ancient Greek: στρυφνότης (struphnótēs) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Hebrew: חֲמִיצוּת (khamitsút) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Ilocano: alsem — condition or quality of being sour
  • Korean: 신맛 (sinmat) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Korean: 산미 (sanmi) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Latin: aciditas — condition or quality of being sour
  • Latin: acor — condition or quality of being sour
  • Old English: sūrnes — condition or quality of being sour
  • Spanish: acedía — condition or quality of being sour
  • Spanish: acidez — condition or quality of being sour
  • Tagalog: asim — condition or quality of being sour
  • Tagalog: kaasiman — condition or quality of being sour
  • Tagalog: pagkaasim — condition or quality of being sour
  • Turkish: ekşilik — condition or quality of being sour
  • Ottoman Turkish: اكشیلك (ekşilik) — condition or quality of being sour
  • Greek: δυστροπία (dystropía) — of a person’s temperament
  • Greek: στρυφνότητα (stryfnótita) — of a person’s temperament
  • Spanish: acidez — of a person’s temperament
  • Spanish: acritud — of a person’s temperament