Thesaurus results for SULLEN

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

See Definition

sullen

adjective

See Dictionary Definition

as in somber

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer sullen skies that matched our mood on the day of the funeral

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pouting

given to or displaying a resentful silence and often irritability sullen and bored at his in-laws' house, he couldn't wait for the holidays to end

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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.