as in depressive
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the men awaiting interrogation by the police shared a saturnine silence
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Recent Examples of saturnine
The five-alarm fire currently stoked by Garrett Graham suggests that what women are really yearning for isn’t a brooding hockey stud with saturnine curls and complicated rage issues but a man who, at his core, seems to like and care about women.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The movie is 40 years old now, and my perception is that more and more people have discovered it, have entered its heady realm of saturnine mystery.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026
At the juncture between postwar noir and golden-age melodrama is Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a saturnine elegy to a lost Hollywood of the silent era, when faces and charisma were more desirable than voices or talent.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
The movie is 40 years old now, and my perception is that more and more people have discovered it, have entered its heady realm of saturnine mystery.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Feb. 2026
At the juncture between postwar noir and golden-age melodrama is Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a saturnine elegy to a lost Hollywood of the silent era, when faces and charisma were more desirable than voices or talent.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saturnine
Adjective
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The activity reduces stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms while supporting better sleep.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
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But a retirement album this is not, and not just because Latto walked back her assertion in her interview with Nadeska, attributing the impulse to a depressive low in the new-album-and-new-motherhood process.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Their pursuit leads them down a highly unusual path with no easy answers, and Bong masterfully balances tonal shifts from bleak tragedy to absurdist humor to highlight why the case remains so compelling.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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The picture looks much bleaker for the president now.—
Linley Sanders,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Adams does not stop for meaning, his early minimalist style causing the words to flow over you whether in somber reflection or the wildness of wild nights that do, indeed, stop for death.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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But the festival began on a more somber note.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Its dark terrain is constantly changing due to lava flows from Kilauea or Mauna Loa – two of the most active volcanoes in the world, according to the National Park Service website.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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Some find the last scene ambiguous, multivalent; some dark; others comic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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More than half of the American workforce is lonely.—
Chris Schembra,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
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This is what can make the job feel lonely.—
Matthew Warren,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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After watching and enjoying the film, a somewhat depressing thought leaped into my mind.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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After a depressing four-year hiatus, Bus Palladium has been transformed into a 35-room luxury hotel with a bar, restaurant, and club by building owner Christian Casmèze and hotelier Nicolas Saltiel, with architecture and interiors by the design firm Studio KO.—
Alexander Lobrano,
Air Mail,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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To be fair, abducted 9-year-old Rainy is pretty cute, with solemn eyebrows and a conscience that continually puts her in peril.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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The once-rising developer’s solemn promise is not likely to be fulfilled if court records in his federal criminal case and a parallel Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit are any indication.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Since the Bankhead and Livermore Cinema opened, a number of popular restaurants – including Zachary’s Pizza, Sauced BBQ and Spirits and Locanda Wine Bar have transformed a once-desolate block into a buzzing culinary destination.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
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Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Saturnine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saturnine. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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