as in sulky
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as in pouting
to silently go about in a bad mood
the toddler would sulk for hours whenever he didn't get his way
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sulking
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Shift work creates such high stress that it has been called shift sulking.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Davis, wearing a particularly Bo Peep-y set of pink panniers, turns the character into a masterpiece of clownery, sulking delightfully and throwing magnificent tantrums while her arrangement of topknots—the hair designer is Robert Pickens—bounces on her head like a prize curly lamb.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
His owner shared a viral TikTok sound over the clip, from when another owner went through the very same thing with her own sulking dog.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Jets Mike McDaniel’s slow, sulking walk off the field was just sad, which about sums up the Dolphins this season.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Still, Brown did not spend his offseason sulking.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
No one is going to get better by sulking.
—Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Both girls said that Jenkins and Powell argued that day, and Powell appeared to be sulking.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Shift work creates such high stress that it has been called shift sulking.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Davis, wearing a particularly Bo Peep-y set of pink panniers, turns the character into a masterpiece of clownery, sulking delightfully and throwing magnificent tantrums while her arrangement of topknots—the hair designer is Robert Pickens—bounces on her head like a prize curly lamb.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
His owner shared a viral TikTok sound over the clip, from when another owner went through the very same thing with her own sulking dog.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
With that goal in mind, Dijkstra has constructed a scheme to ensure that King Radovid stops drinking and sulking over Jaskier and embraces his role as one of the few remaining leaders who can oppose Emhyr’s army.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Jets Mike McDaniel’s slow, sulking walk off the field was just sad, which about sums up the Dolphins this season.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Still, Brown did not spend his offseason sulking.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
No one is going to get better by sulking.
—Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sulking
Adjective
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Skillfully carrying the tale as Kimberly is Ann Morrison, marvelously placing the qualities of a bubbly when not sulky teen in the voice and body of an older woman.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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Keep an eye out for chartreuses, browns, and bright sky blues, along with sulky mauves and beiges in a plaster finish.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some people will probably be pouting in those debriefs.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But the boy had become impatient and sullen, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Although Robbins could be talkative and engaging particularly when discussing his hometown Houston sports teams, there were also periods of sullen silence and self-medication.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
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Many of the drawings show faces, and most of the faces are frowning.—
McKenzie Funk,
ProPublica,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Then there was that image circulating in the bowels of the internet that showed a man who looked exactly like JD scowling at an unidentifiable brunette woman in a restaurant.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sulking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sulking. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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