Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sourpuss

/ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.70 in modern English

Syllables: sour-puss
IPA: /ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who is habitually gloomy, sullen or miserable; a grouch; a scowling person.

Informal

verb

To make a gloomy, sullen or miserable facial expression; to scowl.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"[Katara (Mae Whitman):] Guys, I think these scams have gone far enough. If you keep doing them, something bad is gonna happen. [Toph (Jessie Flower):] Could you for once stop being such a sourpuss and just lighten up. [Katara:] Oh, I'm sorry, you think I should be more like you? Like some wild child?"
"They butt heads sometimes because Jenna can be pretty selfish and tone-deaf, and Jeordie can be a little bit of a sourpuss."
"“Oh, stop your sourpussing. We got what you needed.”"

Etymology

From sour (“bad-tempered”) + puss (“slang for mouth”).

Usage

Inflected Forms

sourpusses (plural) sourpusses (present, singular) sourpussing (participle, present) sourpussed (participle, past) sourpussed (past)

Synonyms

picklepuss gloomy gus pouter

Questions

How do you pronounce sourpuss?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/.
What does sourpuss mean?: A person who is habitually gloomy, sullen or miserable; a grouch; a scowling person.
Where does sourpuss come from?: From sour (“bad-tempered”) + puss (“slang for mouth”).

How to pronounce sourpuss

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sourpuss”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsaʊə(ɹ)ˌpʊs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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