sullen

[ suhl-uhn ]
/ ˈsʌl ən /

adjective

showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve.
persistently and silently ill-humored; morose.
indicative of gloomy ill humor.
gloomy or dismal, as weather or a sound.
sluggish, as a stream.
Obsolete. malignant, as planets or influences.

Origin of sullen

1565–75; earlier solein, Middle English < ?

SYNONYMS FOR sullen

1 See cross.
1, 2 See glum.
2 sulky, moody, sour, bad-tempered.
4 cheerless, clouded, overcast, somber, mournful, dark.
5 slow, stagnant.

ANTONYMS FOR sullen

1, 2 cheerful.

OTHER WORDS FROM sullen

sul·len·ly, adverb sul·len·ness, noun un·sul·len, adjective un·sul·len·ly, adverb

Words nearby sullen

sulindac, sulk, sulky, sulla, sullage, sullen, sullivan, sullom voe, sully, sully-prudhomme, sulph-

Example sentences from the Web for sullenly

British Dictionary definitions for sullenly

sullen
/ (ˈsʌlən) /

adjective

unwilling to talk or be sociable; sulky; morose
sombre; gloomy a sullen day
literary sluggish; slow a sullen stream
obsolete threatening

noun

(plural) archaic a sullen mood

Derived forms of sullen

sullenly, adverb sullenness, noun

Word Origin for sullen

C16: perhaps from Anglo-French solain (unattested), ultimately related to Latin sōlus alone