Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sour grapes

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.50 in modern English

Syllables: sour -grapes
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sour, grapes.

noun

Things that somebody pretends to despise because they cannot obtain or have them.

noun

A putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.

Example Sentences

"I think his comments about that new car are just sour grapes because he can't afford it."
"Despite the egos of individual scientists, the jealousies and the sour grapes, science had worked pretty much the way it was supposed to."
"His absence was a grievous setback for Liverpool, who had looked the more dangerous team until that point, and it would not be sour grapes for the losers to think that was the moment the game started to swing away from them."

Etymology

From Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, in which a fox, unable to reach grapes it is seeking, convinces itself that they must have been unripe (therefore, sour) all along and so not worth trying for in the first place.

Phrases

backward rationalization

Frequently Paired Words

accismus backward rationalization verjuice

Questions

What does sour grapes mean?: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see sour, grapes.
Where does sour grapes come from?: From Aesop's fable The Fox and the Grapes, in which a fox, unable to reach grapes it is seeking, convinces itself that they must have been unripe (therefore, sour) all along and so not worth trying for in the first place.

How to pronounce sour grapes

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