Definition of MOROSE

Choose the Right Synonym for morose

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 morose in a Sentence

She thought of the bootlegger at home—a raddled, skinny old man, morose and suspicious. He sat on his front step with a shotgun on Halloween night. — Alice Munro, Runaway, 2004 We have little finished footage to go by, but enough to give us pause: an exquisite clip of Rochefort, sitting with a book in the half-darkness, his eyes wet, gleaming, and morose. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2003 I have never known if Momma sent for us, or if the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence. There is nothing more appalling than a constantly morose child. — Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone. those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection

Recent Examples on the Web

Probably one of the more out-there plot lines for a romantic comedy, Harold and Maude revolves around a morose teenage boy who is extremely obsessed with death. — Danny Murphy, Marie Claire, "Recasted: Who Would Star in a Reboot of Harold and Maude?," 12 Feb. 2019 But the narrator, Kim — a morose romantic who has a rocky home life, practices Wicca, avoids gym class and falls in love with her English teacher, Ms. Archer — keeps the tone winningly adolescent. — Nicole Lamy, New York Times, "Dear Match Book: Hidden Gems," 27 Mar. 2018 But No Shame is mostly more morose and less fun than that. — Philly.com, "Album reviews: Nine Inch Nails, Lily Allen, Angelique Kidjo," 21 June 2018 Lots of actors in this role are morose, even comatose. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "In the old-school 'Buried Child,' Sam Shepard understood what still pains Illinois," 17 May 2018 Sophie Allison said in an expressionless monotone that matched the fact that her swirly, just-this-side-of-morose songs were ultimately a hair one-note. — Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, "Liz Phair slips back into ‘Guyville’ at the Sinclair," 7 June 2018 Attached was an illustration of a morose woman in scrubs wearing two different socks. — refinery29.com, "Hospital Addressing Physician Suicide Crisis By Asking Doctors To Wear "Crazy" Socks," 1 June 2018 Keegan DeWitt’s score is beautifully morose, Andrew Reed’s cinematography is gorgeous and hazy, and the wardrobes are an ideal blend of contemporary and vintage (down to Jill’s pastel shirts and high-waisted pants). — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Gemini Is a Low-Key L.A. Murder Mystery," 30 Mar. 2018 Short game is world-class In Tiger's last comeback attempt, the slightly morose one that lasted just three events, two things stood out as particularly worrying. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Tiger Woods Round Recap: Tiger Opens With 4-Under 68 at Bay Hill, Four Behind Stenson," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'morose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.