sullen

[suhl-uhn] / ˈsʌl ən /

ADJECTIVE

brooding, upset

Synonyms

STRONGEST

churlish dour gloomy glum grumpy hostile morose petulant somber surly ugly

WEAK

bad-tempered cheerless crabbed crabby cross cynical dismal dull fretful frowning glowering gruff heavy ill-humored inert irritable malevolent malicious malign mean moody obstinate ornery out of sorts peevish perverse pessimistic pouting pouty querulous saturnine silent sour sourpussed stubborn sulking sulky tenebrific tenebrous unsociable uptight

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agreeable bright cheerful friendly gentle happy joyful kind nice pleasant

WEAK

grinning

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those sullen teens trailing their parents toward the taco truck—why the hooded sweatshirts in 84-degree heat and 72-percent humidity?

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2025

There is immense depth behind her sparkling eyes, which she can turn sullen in a second.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2025

You never know how she’s going to react and while her large eyes are often sullen and sad, her expression unreadable, Dyrholm’s are wide and bright, verging on the edge of mania.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

His mood was sullen, according to Meridith McGraw, author of Trump in Exile, an account of the former president’s time after leaving the White House.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

She stood there sullen, her head turned from me.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Vocabulary lists containing sullen

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List 8

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