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“Dour” or “Dower”

dour / dower are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

dour d·AW·er

  • adjectiveharshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance; ; ; ; - J.M.Barrie.

dower d·AW·r

  • nouna life estate to which a wife is entitled on the death of her husband.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“dour”

  • Lt. Drones, a dour New Orleans law enforcement officer,…
  • Pate was normally a still, dour man, but on this occasion…

“dower”

  • …case they may forfeit their dower, but do not have the…
  • …practices, the male pays a dower for his wife, which is…
  • …without Sadaq, Waliy and Shahidain (Dower, Guardian and Witnesses respectively) The…
  • Lord Elton died at the Dower House in Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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