Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of saturnine are crabbed, gloomy, glum, morose, sulky, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When is crabbed a more appropriate choice than saturnine?

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

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

In what contexts can gloomy take the place of saturnine?

The words gloomy and saturnine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

When can glum be used instead of saturnine?

While the synonyms glum and saturnine are close in meaning, glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

How do morose and glum relate to one another, in the sense of saturnine?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When could sulky be used to replace saturnine?

In some situations, the words sulky and saturnine are roughly equivalent. However, sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When would sullen be a good substitute for saturnine?

Although the words sullen and saturnine have much in common, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

Where would surly be a reasonable alternative to saturnine?

The words surly and saturnine can be used in similar contexts, but 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 saturnine The mood is too saturnine, the occasional nods to social criticism too stilted. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saturnine
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
  • In the paper, the authors said that education, prevention strategies and policies aiming to reduce soft drink consumption are urgently required to mitigate depressive symptoms.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The next seven months are a gray, depressive blur.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While there is still a chance that Sanders and Colorado can turn things around, the rest of the season is looking bleak.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • From a bleak job hunt upon her arrival in 2016 to undergoing treatment for her second bout with breast cancer during the uncertainty and fear of COVID, Davis recalls her journey through raw vulnerability and splashes of humor.
    Essence, Essence, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Attendees can also expect kid-friendly activities, including hair braiding, glow-in-the-dark face painting, accessory booths, photo booths, and giant inflatable mascots on the dance floor.
    Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Atop her dress, Carey opted for a long-sleeve dark leather jacket with a cropped design and edgy zipper closure.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In the play, Farrow played Sharon, a lonely Iowa woman – estranged from her adult son, divorced from her husband – who decides to take a boarder into her large farmhouse.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But on the flip side, the one tally in the win column remains lonely as the team heads into its Week 5 matchup against the Jets in New York.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Coordinating your exhales with the pressing, depressing, pulling and lifting phases of these exercises enhances activation of the scapular stabilizing muscles and reinforces proper rib cage alignment.
    Dana Santas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Closing The Gap The racial wealth gap in America remains depressing, and homeownership is one of the clearest indicators of it.
    Essence, Essence, 1 Oct. 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
  • The record often feels morbid and majestic at the same time.
    Allaire Nuss, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Saturnine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saturnine. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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