Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of sulky are crabbed, gloomy, glum, morose, saturnine, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

Where would crabbed be a reasonable alternative to sulky?

The words crabbed and sulky can be used in similar contexts, but crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than sulky?

While the synonyms gloomy and sulky are close in meaning, 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 sulky?

The words glum and sulky are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 sulky?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When would saturnine be a good substitute for sulky?

In some situations, the words saturnine and sulky are roughly equivalent. However, saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

In what contexts can sullen take the place of sulky?

While in some cases nearly identical to sulky, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

When could surly be used to replace sulky?

The synonyms surly and sulky are sometimes interchangeable, 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 sulky Still, certain sensitivities might need to be respected as the excitable Gemini Moon shoves sulky Saturn. Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2024 That’s no small feat, considering how sulky and borderline-bratty Donn comes across in early scenes. Joe Leydon, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024 No sniggering jokes now about princely flings and sulky princesses and body doubles. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 The sulky postwar formation that Moyn depicts owes a great deal to Christian brooding on original sin, as well as to Sigmund Freud’s then increasingly popular conception of the self as impulsive and destructive. Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023 See All Example Sentences for sulky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sulky
Adjective
  • Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 July 2025
  • In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.
    Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • The reflection of my withered face, with deep sullen eyes, blurs behind raindrops sliding down the glass.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
  • My partner came home from work to find a sullen child whimpering in his room.
    Jann Blackstone, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • The passengers include several other mountain trekkers, among them an American professor (Bernard Curry) and his teenage daughter, Starr (Grace O’Sullivan), the latter’s nature instantly signified by her pouty demeanor and inability to put away her cell phone.
    Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
  • While the Pocket Blush is known for delivering gorgeous flushed cheeks in seconds, the Peptide Lip Shape is a recent favorite for perfectly contoured pouty lips.
    Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sulky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sulky. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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