Meanings
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyThings that somebody pretends to despise because they cannot obtain or have them.
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyA putting down or expression of disdain about something that one desires but cannot have.
I think his comments about that new car are just sour grapes because he can't afford it.
2 more examples
Despite the egos of individual scientists, the jealousies and the sour grapes, science had worked pretty much the way it was supposed to.
2010, Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway, chapter 2, in Merchants of DoubtHis 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.
2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὄμφᾰξ
- ὄμφᾰξ (ómphăx)acid grapes
Arabic حِصْرِم
- حِصْرِم (ḥiṣrim)acid grapes
Catalan agrassos
- agrassosacid grapes
Danish sure rønnebær
- sure rønnebærexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Finnish raa’at viinirypäleet, happamia, sanoi kettu pihlajanmarjoista
- raa’at viinirypäleetacid grapes
- happamia, sanoi kettu pihlajanmarjoistaexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
German saure Traube, unreife Traube
- saure Traubeacid grapes
- unreife Traubeacid grapes
- Herlingacid grapes
Greek αγουρίδα
- αγουρίδα (agourída)acid grapes
Hebrew חַרְצָן, בֹּסֶר
- חַרְצָן (ḥarṣā́n)acid grapes
- בֹּסֶר (boser)acid grapes
Hindi खट्टे अंगूर, खट्टे अंगूर
- खट्टे अंगूर (khaṭṭe aṅgūr)acid grapes
- खट्टे अंगूर (khaṭṭe aṅgūr)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
Hungarian savanyú a szőlő
- savanyú a szőlőexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Icelandic þau eru súr, sagði refurinn
- þau eru súr, sagði refurinnexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Indonesian serigala dengan anggur
- serigala dengan anggurexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Irish silíní searbha
- silíní searbhaexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Italian uva acerba
- uva acerbaacid grapes
Japanese 負け惜しみ, すっぱい葡萄
- 負け惜しみ (makeoshimi)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
- すっぱい葡萄 (suppai budō)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
Persian غوره
- غوره (ġure)acid grapes
Polish kwaśne winogrona
- kwaśne winogronaexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Portuguese uvas verdes, dor de cotovelo
- uvas verdesacid grapes
- dor de cotoveloexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Romanian aguride, struguri acri
- agurideacid grapes
- struguri acriacid grapes
- struguri verziacid grapes
- struguri acriexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Russian ки́слый виногра́д, зе́лен виногра́д
- ки́слый виногра́д (kíslyj vinográd)acid grapes
- зе́лен виногра́д (zélen vinográd)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
- за́висть (závistʹ)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
- притво́рное равноду́шие (pritvórnoje ravnodúšije)expression of disdain for something one cannot have
Spanish uvas verdes
- uvas verdesacid grapes
Swedish surt sa räven
- surt sa rävenexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Turkish koruk
- korukacid grapes
Vietnamese chùm nho còn xanh
- chùm nho còn xanhexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Welsh cig cas yw cig coch
- cig cas yw cig cochexpression of disdain for something one cannot have
Cite this entry
sour grapes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sour%20grapes
“sour grapes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sour%20grapes. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sour grapes,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sour%20grapes.
Source: sour grapes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.