sour grapes
Meaning
Bitter criticism or dismissal of something because you can’t have it or didn’t succeed in getting it.
Origin
From Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes,” where a fox can’t reach grapes and claims they’re probably sour to save face.
Notes
Used to suggest someone is disparaging something only because they couldn’t get it. Often mildly judgmental or sarcastic.
Examples
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After he didn’t get into his first-choice school, he said it wasn’t that great anyway—classic sour grapes.
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She called the promotion “boring” after she didn’t get it, but it was clearly sour grapes.
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When they couldn’t get a table at the popular restaurant, they said the food was probably overrated—total sour grapes.
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He couldn’t afford the new phone, so he dismissed it as overhyped, which sounded like sour grapes.
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When the offer didn’t come through, he criticized the company to make himself feel better, but it came off as sour grapes.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually used as a noun phrase: “That’s sour grapes.” Also “(It’s) just sour grapes,” “a case of sour grapes,” or as an adjective before a noun (“sour-grapes attitude”).
Synonyms
- bitterness
- resentment
- disparagement
- face-saving rationalization
Antonyms
- good sportsmanship
- gracious acceptance