WordGarden.iodourly
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /dˈaʊəli/
US
Meanings
Adverb
in a gloomy, stern, or cheerless manner
Beyond the definition
Imagine an old lighthouse keeper, worn down by years of storms and solitude. If he greets you with a downturned mouth and barely makes eye contact, he's likely responding dourly. It describes a manner that is stern, unfriendly, and gloomy, as if the person expects little good from the world.
The word suggests a kind of heavy, stubborn gloom. Someone might speak dourly about the weather or answer good news dourly, as if even happy moments feel uncomfortable. It's not always angry; more often, it's cold, joyless, and a little forbidding. Think of Scrooge before his transformation: he likely answered every question dourly.
To act dourly is to behave in a stern, gloomy, and unfriendly way. It's more than simply being sad; it suggests a lack of warmth or cheer, often shown through a severe expression, a flat tone, or a cold manner. When someone does something dourly, they seem emotionally closed off, disapproving, or hard to please.
You might use the word for someone who replies to friendly conversation with short, gruff answers, or for a person who looks at a cheerful event with obvious gloom. A character in a novel might respond dourly to a joke, a greeting, or a hopeful plan. The idea is not explosive anger, but dark seriousness and visible lack of pleasure.
It's important to note that dourly is not mainly about open anger or aggression. A person acting this way may not shout at all. Instead, they may answer with a stony silence, a hard stare, or a voice that makes it clear they are unimpressed, unhappy, or unwilling to soften.
While the word often appears in stories about strict, old-fashioned, or severe characters, anyone can act dourly. It describes a style of speaking, looking, or responding that feels bleak, stern, and closed to warmth. So if someone greets you with a frown and a curt nod, they are meeting the world dourly.
Examples
- 1
Quiet response
He nodded dourly and went back to work.
- 2
Waiting in line
"We may be here all night," she said dourly as the line moved forward inch by inch.
- 3
Budget warning
The mayor spoke dourly about the budget, warning that more cuts were coming.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- dourlyadverb