sour grapes
Disdain for unattainables
Sour grapes is dismissing something as undesirable only because you can't have it.
From Aesop's fable where a fox, unable to reach grapes on a high vine, declares they were probably sour anyway.
The phrase describes rationalized resentment: He said the job wasn't worth having, but that sounds like sour grapes.
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- envyResentful longing for another's
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- covetousnessExcessive desire for possessions
- spitePetty malicious intent
grudge · begrudging · ill will · animosity · malice · invidiousness · heartburn · pettiness
Ancient Greek fable writer
- foxCunning wild canine
- vineyardGrape-growing estate
- moralConcerning right conduct
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
parable · La Fontaine · proverb · idiom · cautionary tale · folk wisdom
Refusal to accept reality
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
- defensivenessResistance to perceived attack
- justificationReason proving rightness
excuse-making · dismissiveness · minimization · deflection · face-saving · coping mechanism · pretense · posturing
Verbal diminishing of worth
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- scornHostile dismissive feeling
- contemptDisdainful disregard
- derisionContemptuous mockery
disdain · criticism · sneering · deprecation · dismissal · devaluation · put-down · sarcasm
Failure to satisfy expectations
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
- dissatisfactionState of being displeased
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
- regretSorrow over past actions
chagrin · dejection · defeat · setback · bruised ego · wounded pride
bitterness
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- envyResentful longing for another's
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- covetousnessExcessive desire for possessions
spite · grudge · begrudging · ill will · animosity · malice · invidiousness · heartburn · pettiness · disgruntlement
Aesop
Ancient Greek fable writer
allegory · parable · La Fontaine · proverb · idiom · cautionary tale · folk wisdom
denial
Refusal to accept reality
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
- defensivenessResistance to perceived attack
justification · excuse-making · dismissiveness · minimization · deflection · face-saving · coping mechanism · pretense · posturing
belittlement
Verbal diminishing of worth
derision · disdain · criticism · sneering · deprecation · dismissal · devaluation · put-down · sarcasm · condescension
letdown
Failure to satisfy expectations
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
- dissatisfactionState of being displeased
- disillusionmentBitter loss of faith
regret · chagrin · dejection · defeat · setback · bruised ego · wounded pride
- food idiomspiece of cake, bread winner, low-hanging fruit, cool as a cucumber, bad egg
- Aesop's FablesAesop's fables, moral tales, fable, Greek fables, slow and steady
- fablesfable, Aesop, Aesop's fables, Aesop fables, tortoise and hare
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- Historical AllusionsTrojan horse, Achilles heel, Pyrrhic victory, crossing the Rubicon, Pandora's box
- rationalizationsdenial, minimizing, deflection, victim blaming, special pleading
sour grapesgood sportsmanship
Honorable conduct in competition
graciousness · magnanimity · equanimity · contentment · serenity
sour grapesmagnanimity
Generous, noble spirit
big-heartedness · good loser · class · maturity · rising above
sour, grapes, soured, sourness, grapevine, souring, grapefruit, sourly, tartness