Definition of morosenext

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 For his performance as the morose, sad-eyed—but genuinely threatening—sidekick to Pacino’s combustible grandstander, Cazale was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as best supporting actor. René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026 The album’s best moments come when Joji deploys the noisy, aggressive production favored by morose rappers like fakemink, Bladee, and Playboi Carti. Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 11 Feb. 2026 The mood is neither morose nor blindly optimistic, even as the film celebrates the sense of family and community among these Southerners. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026 The management changes come less than six weeks after Bellettini, one of Kering’s most visible and accomplished executives, was tasked with turning around Gucci amid a morose climate for luxury players. Miles Socha, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for morose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose
Adjective
  • There’s a somber scene in a new documentary about Patrick Kelly, where executive producers Jess Manning and Ray Cornelius are at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center, about to dive into research about the late fashion designer.
    Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
  • But after seven episodes wearing down the viewer with a bleak perspective, in the season finale, Euphoria pulls itself out of its own somber patterns to reach for grace and mercy in Christian symbolism, American wholesomeness, and the concept of family.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • For years, radical climate activists have painted a bleak view of the future.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
  • The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.
    Al Shipley, SPIN, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • The den resembles the room of someone who is stuck in a depressive rut, like Clark.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • Most deaths are caused by substance use disorders and depressive disorders.
    Yenupini Joyce Adams, The Conversation, 27 May 2026
Adjective
  • Almost a year out to sea is very depressing.
    Steve Walsh, NPR, 23 May 2026
  • Some sendoffs are mundane; others are downright depressing.
    Michael Silver, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Adjective
  • Its trio, a lonely fox-deer, an axolotl apprentice healer and a red panda Viking, travel through a darkening natural world as the series folds identity, belonging and environmental crisis.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 1 June 2026
  • Brunson is hardly a lonely talent.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • If the second section presents the diagnosis, then in the footnote to Howl Ginsberg writes a prescription, because if we’re oppressed by a dark faith then the only antidote is a different one.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • Villains could hide in the giant banyan tree or lurk in the spookily dark new flotation room; a fight scene might involve someone crashing down the waterfall-wall in the centre of the wellness centre.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • Opponents argue the arch would obstruct the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, disrupt a solemn military landscape, and require congressional authorization because it would be built on federal land.
    Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 27 May 2026
  • This solemn rite is a common sight in the rural South, so the locals extended a little grace to the mourning mass, creating a midday traffic jam on the town’s Main Street.
    Theodore R. Johnson, Washington Post, 27 May 2026
Adjective
  • Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.
    Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
  • The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.
    Al Shipley, SPIN, 29 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.

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