Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

sour-grapes

idiom

/ˌsaʊərˈɡreɪps/

Definition

A term used to refer to a negative attitude or disdain towards something one cannot have.

Examples

“After losing the competition, he tried to downplay the prize by saying it wasn’t important anyway; it was a classic case of sour-grapes.”
“She said she didn’t want to go to the party after not being invited, but it sounded like sour-grapes to me.”

Meaning

Sour-grapes describes a behavior where someone pretends to despise or belittle something they wanted but couldn’t attain, often as a defense mechanism to cope with disappointment.