1
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
sullen skies that matched our mood on the day of the funeral
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pouts
a state of resentful silence or irritability
her mother-in-law managed to dispel her sullenness with a gals-only shopping spree
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sullen
Jann Blackstone, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest of the heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind could make an Eden.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
When this long, difficult, rewarding and validating Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a crashing halt Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a sullen group of players and coaches filed into the locker room to come to grips with it all.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Read Next: The Best Bass Flies As the bug lay silent on the water, a sullen chug echoed out of the darkness and Larry’s rod, silhouetted against the night sky, sprang into a dancing arc.
—Ted Janes, Outdoor Life, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sullen
Adjective
My partner came home from work to find a sullen child whimpering in his room.
—Jann Blackstone, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest of the heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind could make an Eden.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
When this long, difficult, rewarding and validating Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a crashing halt Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a sullen group of players and coaches filed into the locker room to come to grips with it all.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Read Next: The Best Bass Flies As the bug lay silent on the water, a sullen chug echoed out of the darkness and Larry’s rod, silhouetted against the night sky, sprang into a dancing arc.
—Ted Janes, Outdoor Life, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sullen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullen
Adjective
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High-contrast, stark black-and-white tones, water droplets and a somber expression emerging from shadows.—
Evan J. Schwartz,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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There were no somber emotions this time from Dončić’s side, with Balkan music blasting throughout the practice facility before he and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka held a news conference to celebrate Dončić’s extension.—
Khobi Price,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Directed by Paul Schrader with a script by Bret Easton Ellis, this spiritually bleak L.A. drama features Lohan’s most daring performance, and probably the only one that manages to break completely with her childhood and adolescent roles.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
9 Aug. 2025
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The situation is bleak enough that, even if aid increases rapidly in the coming weeks, deaths from starvation are almost certain to rise.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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SSRIs are linked to a condition called neonatal adaption syndrome, in which infants are born jittery, irritable and with abnormal muscle tone.—
Andrew Novick,
The Conversation,
31 July 2025
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Frequently, kids who suppress emotions at school come home irritable in a low-key fashion at home.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Any noise, lights or screens would cause John to experience headaches, dizziness, irritability, and overwhelm.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Perpetual daylight has its downside, disrupting sleep, leading to irritability – and worse.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The movie Marty was based on Chayefsky’s television drama about two lonely people finding love.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Harness racing was his first love, and during the next half-century, his name became synonymous with the sulky sport in Chicagoland.—
Neil Milbert,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
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Founder Max Siegelman drew upon his family’s harness racing roots thanks to the boarding and teaching facility for the sport involving the powerful animal, a sulky and human direction that dates to the 1800s in the US.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Use of an oxytocin nasal spray combined with psychotherapy may have a greater effect on reducing depressive symptoms in people with mental health disorders than either treatment alone, a recent study reported.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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More than 18% of adults in that age group have had a depressive episode, according to a report from the National Institute of Mental Health.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Anna’s surly 15-year-old daughter Harper (Julia Butters) is vehemently opposed to the possibility of being uprooted and moved to London.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Aug. 2025
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This is because, little under a year after being handed a landslide majority by the U.K. electorate, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is deeply unpopular and thrashing around for ways to appease a surly and resentful public.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sullen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullen. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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