1
: having a sullen and gloomy disposition
became morose and uncommunicative
2
: marked by or expressive of gloom
morose song lyrics
mo·rose·ness
: the quality or state of being morose
the moroseness of age and infirmity never touched him, and he never quarreled with a friend or lost one—
Matthew Arnold
Matthew ArnoldSynonyms of morose
Examples of morose in a Sentence
Adjective
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He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.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
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He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.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
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
In a morose Season 2, the group, now shrunken to a fivesome, with Ginny and her baby sometimes in tow, grapples with life after Nick and what their respective next chapters might bring.
—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
In search of a fresh sound after Bucketgate, Bieber found it with Skrillex and Diplo, veteran dance-music producers who took a morose piano ballad that Bieber and his frequent accomplice Poo Bear had demoed and turned it into a glimmering boudoir-rave fantasia.
—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Hsu plays Joy, a morose daughter of two Chinese immigrants.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for morose
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Life without either, the pair determine, has left Leonora morose, maladjusted and desperate to claw her way back to the road not taken.
—
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
In a morose Season 2, the group, now shrunken to a fivesome, with Ginny and her baby sometimes in tow, grapples with life after Nick and what their respective next chapters might bring.
—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
In search of a fresh sound after Bucketgate, Bieber found it with Skrillex and Diplo, veteran dance-music producers who took a morose piano ballad that Bieber and his frequent accomplice Poo Bear had demoed and turned it into a glimmering boudoir-rave fantasia.
—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Hsu plays Joy, a morose daughter of two Chinese immigrants.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for morose
Cite this Entry
“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morose. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
