Sour On – Meaning and Examples

Imagine loving a hobby, but after trying it for a few months, you find it boring and frustrating. When you lose your positive feelings, enthusiasm, or interest in something, you sour on it. This phrasal verb is useful for describing a change in attitude, often from excitement to disappointment or dislike.

What Does “Sour On” Mean?

The phrasal verb “sour on” means to become disappointed, disillusioned, or generally lose favor toward a person, idea, or object. The root word “sour” relates to the taste of something gone bad (like milk), implying that the relationship or feeling has similarly spoiled. When a person sours on something, they develop a critical or negative view of what they once liked.

When to Use It

You can use sour on when discussing relationships, opinions, or long-term commitments.

• People: She began to sour on her new boss after realizing how often he broke his promises.
• Ideas/Projects: Many people soured on the project when the timeline was extended by a year.
• Politics: Voters quickly soured on the candidate when his tax records were revealed.

This phrase is informal and tends to carry a negative connotation, describing disillusionment.

Example Sentences

• He used to love living in the city, but he has soured on it recently due to the traffic.
• I worry that if the company keeps making mistakes, customers will sour on the brand entirely.
• She quickly soured on the idea of owning a pet after realizing how much responsibility it was.
• After spending too much money, they soured on their new luxury vacation plan.

Mini Dialogue

Alex: “I thought you wanted to buy that classic car.”

Jamie: “I did, but after seeing the huge repair costs, I’ve completely soured on the whole concept.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Remember that “sour on” describes a feeling or relationship turning negative, not just becoming tired or physically exhausted.

❌ Don’t: “After running the marathon, I soured on the track.” (This is incorrect. Use “was exhausted by” or “was tired of.”)

✅ Do: “The initial excitement for the new technology soured on me when I saw the price tag.” (This means the excitement turned into disappointment.)

Final Note

Using sour on is a clear and expressive way to talk about losing interest or becoming disillusioned. Practice using this phrase the next time a person or project disappoints you!