saturnine

[sat-er-nahyn] / ˈsæt ərˌnaɪn /

ADJECTIVE

gloomy

Synonyms

WEAK

blue cheerless dejected depressed desolate despondent dispirited dour down down in the dumps forlorn glum grave hopeless in low spirits in the dumps low melancholy miserable moping morose sad solemn sorrowful sulky sullen unhappy woebegone woeful

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.

Slatkin noted that the recording, released in 1955, didn’t sell well, probably thanks to the album cover’s saturnine painting of a composer that few would recognize.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

Darker moods are kept from being too saturnine; his Sarabandes aren’t milked for melancholy.

From New York Times • May 26, 2022

Whatever might come, this would not be a tenure of earth tones and lethargy and saturnine expressions.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2022

The saturnine darkness of Connery answers the strangeness and anxieties in Tippi Hedren’s mysterious Marnie.

From The Guardian • Aug. 25, 2020

Hugh Hungerford was slim and saturnine, long-legged, long-faced, clad in faded finery.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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