glummer; glummest
1
: broodingly morose
became glum when they heard the news
2
: dreary, gloomy
a glum countenance
glumly adverb
glumness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for glum

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.

sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Examples of glum in a Sentence

There's no need to look so glum—things will get better soon. There was a glum silence in the room.
Recent Examples on the Web As to why so many Americans remain glum about the nation's financial picture, Hogan believes human psychology and an election year both come into play. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 7 June 2024 At a time when the public mood about the economy is noticeably glum, the Fortune 500 CEOs in our annual survey come across as surprisingly sanguine. Alan Murray, Fortune, 6 June 2024 Turkey was preparing for general elections, and a couple of young supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a small opposition outfit, looked glum. Selim Koru, Foreign Affairs, 28 June 2016 Put as plain as possible: the campaign reporters tracking Rep. Michele Bachmann’s 10-day, 99-county tour of Iowa were pretty glum. Philip Elliott, TIME, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for glum 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

akin to Middle English gloumen to gloom

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of glum was in 1547

Dictionary Entries Near glum

Cite this Entry

“Glum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glum. Accessed 15 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

glum

adjective
glummer; glummest
1
2
: seeming gloomy and sad
a glum expression
glumly adverb
glumness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glum

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