be sullen

Tracker would be sullen and resentful, reserving his gentleness for a group of deformed children, called mingi, whom he meets through an “anti-witch” called the Sangoma.

There was plenty to be sullen about.

To: Heart-to-Heart: Your description of your niece as “very sweet” combined with her behaviors seems incongruous; in my experience, rebellious teenagers tend to be sullen and taciturn.

Re: Heart-to-Heart: Your description of your niece as "very sweet" combined with her behaviors seems incongruous; in my experience, rebellious teenagers tend to be sullen and taciturn.

I’d expected her to be sullen and suspicious, but nothing could be further from the truth.