SULLEN Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

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

sullen

adjective

ˈsə-lən

Definition of sullen

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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Some Redditors have reported the same problem in sullen language. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 Consider the case of a teenage nephew in Atlanta who had become sullen, rebellious and was way behind in school. — Mark Woolsey, AJC.com, 13 July 2026 The idea of his sullen son as a permanent visitor in his house was more than Will could bear. — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish. — Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sullen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sullen

Adjective

Some are somber, like the single mom Mekko’s left in the lurch or a fellow journalist who prefers feel-good fluff pieces to muckraking.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The trailer opens on the somber, grayscale world of London before entering the wild, psychedelic, and magical world of Narnia.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of somber

Adjective

Could be because for much of the running time, Abrams’ Jay Gardiner is up against what looks like a very large irritable sphincter.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Coach There’s no better feeling than walking into your last show of the day, irritable and hungry, only to discover that snacks are being served.

— Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of irritable

Adjective

Unlike Gregor Samsa who is confined to his room after transforming into a huge insect, the protagonist still has to go to work, a dark and bleak absurdity that lays bare the alienation, isolation, and hypocrisy of modern life.

— Deadline, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Providing a faint ray of hope in this otherwise bleak start to life, the five baby orangutans have been settling into their new surroundings in Odisha at the Nandankanan Zoo.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

Suzanne, the sulky, artistic type, scowls and pointedly ignores their noisy energy.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of sulky

Adjective

The normally surly Super Bowl winning head coach has been known to chew up and spit out even the most veteran of sideline reporters, even while his team is eviscerating the competition.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
The United States is now a reluctant international donor and a surly member of key international organizations.

— Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of surly

Adjective

For those who take pride in their pouty lips (or their ability to talk their way out of just about anything), a swipe of lipstick and nothing else is a cool way to look put together without the hustle of actually putting yourself together.

— Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026
The bend-over-at-your-own-risk-tight culottes with the pouty flare where no flare should ever be.

— Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2026

Definition of pouty

Browse Nearby Words

sulky

sullen

sullenly

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sullen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sullen. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sullen

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes