sullen

[ suhl-uhn ]
/ ˈsʌl ən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sullen ON THESAURUS.COM

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.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sullen ON THESAURUS.COM

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-

Words related to sullenness

acrimony, anger, moroseness, gloominess, moodiness

Example sentences from the Web for sullenness

British Dictionary definitions for sullenness

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