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 In this family road-trip pic set during the 2008 financial crisis, one disturbing sequence after another is played out on the morose face of John Magaro, who is clearly keeping the truth from them — and us — of what this journey is actually all about. Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025 The always astonishing Ben Whishaw plays the sweet, morose, gay, chain-smoking, furtively sincere, faraway-eyed Hujar, a veteran freelance photographer who was just coming into his own as a gallery artist and downtown scenester. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025 But none of it would have landed had Gad, Lee, and the rest of the Frozen 2 creative team stuck with the morose original cut. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025 But many others don’t fit this stereotype, appearing morose or burdened. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for morose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose
Adjective
  • That’s the question writer-director Ari Aster’s somber comedy-Western Eddington, playing in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival, appears to be asking.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 May 2025
  • Rayburn partners up with local sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis) in a somber yet tumultuous pursuit of a killer who uses brutal traps and primal tactics.
    Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • The latest Email Threat Trends Report from VIPRE paints a bleak picture.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • Related article Putin just called Trump’s bluff on Ukraine, with the Russian art of the ‘no’ deal Ukraine in 2025 is a bleak prospect.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The investigation specifically focused on 1,422 fathers who were screened for depressive symptoms when their children were five years old, Schmitz told Newsweek.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
  • For every past depressive episode, the likelihood of having another one goes up.
    Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • The mortality rates of small indie presses and literary journals are a depressing feature of our cultural landscape.
    Michael Washburn, National Review, 25 May 2025
  • Despite there being ample intrigue and mystery around what happened to Peter's first wife, the truth is pretty depressing.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Health officials have said the United States is facing a mental health crisis, and in 2023, nearly 1 in 4 adults around the world reported feeling fairly or very lonely.
    Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 17 May 2025
  • Similarly, a cat was sent to a shelter after 10 years in a home after his owner passed away, leaving him lonely and searching for a new home.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • The videos look just like the photos, with unnatural colors and visible noise, especially in dark environments.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
  • Related Stories All About Jalen Brunson's Parents, Sandra and Rick Brunson See Photos of Timothée Chalamet, Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and More On May 16, Chalamet wore a Chrome Hearts tracksuit in a dark navy blue.
    Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The location is on federal land just north of the U.S.-Mexico border along a desolate stretch of the Sonoran Desert about 72 miles south-southwest of Tucson.
    Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 May 2025
  • Even the trailers for Superman have echos of the Man of Steel and Batman v Superman trailers, including starting with Superman falling out of the sky into a desolate Arctic area.
    Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The marketing was clever (complete with morbid 3D billboards), and this series has built-in nostalgic value.
    Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
  • The morbid series first began in 2000 and follows groups of people getting Rube Goldberg machine’d to death by unforeseen domino effects — a timeless concept if there ever was one.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 17 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 30 May. 2025.

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