sullen
Use Sullen in a sentence
ən adjective
1.
showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve.
2.
persistently and silently ill-humored; morose.
3.
indicative of gloomy ill humor.
4.
gloomy or dismal, as weather or a sound.
5.
sluggish, as a stream.
Origin:
1565–75; earlier solein, Middle English < ?
1565–75; earlier solein, Middle English < ?
Related forms
sul·len·ly, adverb
sul·len·ness, noun
un·sul·len, adjective
un·sul·len·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. See cross. 1, 2. See glum. 2. sulky, moody, sour, bad-tempered. 4. cheerless, clouded, overcast, somber, mournful, dark. 5. slow, stagnant.
1. See cross. 1, 2. See glum. 2. sulky, moody, sour, bad-tempered. 4. cheerless, clouded, overcast, somber, mournful, dark. 5. slow, stagnant.
Antonyms
1, 2. cheerful.
1, 2. cheerful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To sullen
00:10
Sullen
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
sullen (ˈsʌlən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | unwilling to talk or be sociable; sulky; morose |
| 2. | sombre; gloomy: a sullen day |
| 3. | literary sluggish; slow: a sullen stream |
| 4. | obsolete threatening |
| —n | |
| 5. | archaic (plural) a sullen mood |
| [C16: perhaps from Anglo-French solain (unattested), ultimately related to Latin sōlus alone] | |
| 'sullenly | |
| —adv | |
| 'sullenness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sullen
1570s, alteration of M.E. soleyn "unique, singular," from Anglo-Fr. *solein, formed on the pattern of O.Fr. soltain, from O.Fr. soul "single" (see sole (2)). The sense shift in M.E. from "solitary" to "morose" occurred between about 1380 and 1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It came at me in plain words one night, in that sullen calm before sleep.
Questions along this line are not prudent an they are the quickest method of drying your informant into sullen silence.
His movements are sullen and lumbering, his face numbed by corpulence, his natural resting expression a look of confusion.
In prison, he confronted staff with sharp words or sullen silence.
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
