sourness

Everyday

1. A sharp, acid taste, like lemons or vinegar. tree →
2. A bad-tempered, bitter or unfriendly mood or feeling. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on taste, sourness is one of the basic tastes (with sweet, salty, bitter and umami) and comes from acids. In stories, sourness of a character or a friendship shows bitterness or resentment.

Examples

• The sourness of the lemon made my face screw up. tree →
• Add sugar to reduce the sourness of the rhubarb. tree →
• Our tongue can taste sourness, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness and umami. tree →
• There was a sourness between the two friends after the argument. tree →
• The milk had a sourness that told us it was off. tree →
• His sourness spoiled the party. tree →

Note

Uncountable; from «sour» + «-ness». Sour taste means acid; in science, acids taste sour (but never taste chemicals in the lab).