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Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of sullen are crabbed, gloomy, glum, morose, saturnine, sulky, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

In what contexts can crabbed take the place of sullen?

While the synonyms crabbed and sullen are close in meaning, crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When would gloomy be a good substitute for sullen?

Although the words gloomy and sullen have much in common, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

When could glum be used to replace sullen?

In some situations, the words glum and sullen are roughly equivalent. However, 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 sullen?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When might saturnine be a better fit than sullen?

The meanings of saturnine and sullen largely overlap; however, 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 sullen?

The synonyms sulky and sullen are sometimes interchangeable, but sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When can surly be used instead of sullen?

While in some cases nearly identical to sullen, 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 sullen The days’ loss was evident in his sullen expression, but his presence indicated his desire to play before Arniel confirmed it. Murat Ates, New York Times, 18 May 2025 For the Canucks, however, and for their fans, there’s no time to be sullen about Tocchet’s decision. Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 But sheer athleticism won’t turn him into a celebrity, and his demeanor doesn’t endear him to people—Majors plays Maddox as a sullen and tightly wound outcast whose environment shapes his isolation. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025 The four-run outing snapped a stretch of nine consecutive scoreless outings for the rookie, who was consoled by each member of this veteran bullpen in the cramped, sullen visiting clubhouse in Chicago. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sullen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullen
Adjective
  • However, while circumstances were smooth-sailing at the start, things quickly took a somber turn on July 2, 1937.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 2 July 2025
  • His overjoyed demeanor starkly contrasted with his somber appearance in court just a day before when jurors said they were deadlocked on one of the five counts.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Some traders said the numbers were less severe than analysts' bleak forecasts.
    Sabrina Valle, USA Today, 3 July 2025
  • No one is as funny and as bleak in the same sentence, or maybe even the same word.
    Literary Hub July 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • But a new wrench is thrown into the works in the form of an irritable downstairs neighbor.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 27 June 2025
  • And getting swept at home by a losing club, the Miami Marlins, would make anyone a tad irritable and hypersensitive.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • While Bowie envisioned an Earth careening toward apocalypse in a flamboyant, theatrical cry, Drake’s five leaves are quieter, lonelier — more like the end of a season than the end of a world.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 5 July 2025
  • By January, Musk had transitioned to lieutenant, making up DOGE, complete with cringey swag, like a lonely preteen dreaming up a secret club in his tree house.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Just picture it: a Bond car chase reimagined as a slow, sulky glide through fog and existential dread.
    Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 28 June 2025
  • And at the play’s pinnacle, Stewart, an extraordinary trans actress, takes the show back from the sulky boys by performing a soft-limbed voguing solo, plunging to the floor as her braids twirl around her.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Adolescents whose career or education decisions are steered by their parents often experience school burnout, increased anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
    Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Early phases of the trial showed a significant, 60 percent remission in depressive symptoms after eight weeks.
    John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This is exactly the productive, surly, still-in-his-prime player this team needs down the middle.
    Scott Powers, New York Times, 14 June 2025
  • Rostov is exiled to the servants’ quarters in the attic, stripped of most of his possessions, and is kept under constant surveillance by a surly KGB operative (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson).
    Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Executive Chef Graham House and Chef de Cuisine Graham House of Luminosa in Asheville, NC, recommend using a whole roast chicken, both dark and white meat, but placing half of it in the food processor before hand shredding the remaining bits for texture.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
  • Prioritize sleep quality: Creating a consistent bedtime routine and keeping your bedroom cool and dark may help improve sleep.
    Stella Bard, Health, 27 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sullen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullen. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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