Synonym Chooser

How is the word morose different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of morose are crabbed, gloomy, glum, saturnine, sulky, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When can crabbed be used instead of morose?

The synonyms crabbed and morose are sometimes interchangeable, but crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than morose?

The meanings of gloomy and morose largely overlap; however, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

In what contexts can glum take the place of morose?

The words glum and morose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

Where would saturnine be a reasonable alternative to morose?

Although the words saturnine and morose have much in common, saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When is it sensible to use sulky instead of morose?

While the synonyms sulky and morose are close in meaning, sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When could sullen be used to replace morose?

The words sullen and morose can be used in similar contexts, but sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

When might surly be a better fit than morose?

While in some cases nearly identical to morose, surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of morose Daniels is morose and whiny and Reynolds is hammy and over-the-top, which allows Stone to steal the movie, giving it its only modicum of zest and soul. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025 Tim Burton’s two marvelous Batman movies took the character’s morose nature seriously, but not more seriously than his savoir faire: the Burton Batman movies also have gothic elegance on their side. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 July 2025 In an intimate huddle, Costello and his band members harmonized on the morose country track, all underscored with plucky upright bass. Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 6 July 2025 The staffing up is also a sign of green shoots at an otherwise morose time for media. Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for morose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose
Adjective
  • According to the tabloid site, the couple seemed more somber and tense than usual.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The mood on the ice and in the dressing room was somber Thursday when Barkov crumbled to the ice following a noncontact drill and had to be helped off the ice by two team staff members.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These days, things are pretty bleak at the old mall, which has many vacancies, is startlingly empty of shoppers and appears slated for redevelopment.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Given that such advances are what fuel economic growth and well-being, the future prospects for our economy — and our country in general — become far more bleak.
    Sheldon Jacobson, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Michael Strassner, who co-wrote the film with Duplass, stars as Cliff, a physically maladroit, mildly depressive but sweet-natured man whose thick beard and portly bearing suggest Lord of the Rings-era Peter Jackson.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Buchwald pointed to research from The Lancet Psychiatry which found adults who engaged in regular physical activity experienced a 25 percent reduction in depressive symptoms.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • His 300th was in a depressing environment — at an empty stadium, in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader in 2020.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
  • The revelation is as depressing as a leverage penalty.
    Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • When this puzzle started, its comment section was often empty or lonely.
    Mark Cooper, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Those who perceive this total control are prone to paranoia, leaving them mistrustful and lonely, while those who seek to profit from it are dragged into depravity.
    Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Princess Amalia took on royal power suiting in a pink ensemble with wide-leg trousers and a matching blazer with dark buttons.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Eight Unbearable Days Ray, Ben, Michael, Michelle’s brother, and Ben’s dad drove up I-70 to Vail, checking into a hotel just after dark as the first hasty teams from VMRG were heading up the mountain.
    Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike other parts of the Cascades, where campgrounds are plentiful and the Pacific Crest Trail attracts hundreds of hikers, this area is desolate.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Despite the Winchesters' massive home, thanks to Andrew's family's wealth, Millie is banished to live in a desolate attic bedroom.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Based on the 2010 manga of the same name, the series is loaded with big questions, morbid challenges and a deep look at people in crisis.
    Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The writer’s illness — tuberculosis of the larynx — is seen as a particularly cruel horror, albeit one in lockstep with his morbid imagination, which continued to work overtime.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on morose

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!