glum
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
Glum, morose, sullen, dour, surly all are adjectives describing a gloomy, unsociable attitude. Glum describes a depressed, spiritless condition or manner, usually temporary rather than habitual: a glum shrug of the shoulders; a glum, hopeless look in his eye. Morose, which adds to glum a sense of bitterness, implies a habitual and pervasive gloominess: a sour, morose manner; morose withdrawal from human contact. Sullen usually implies reluctance or refusal to speak accompanied by glowering looks expressing anger or a sense of injury: a sullen manner, silence, look. Dour refers to a stern and forbidding aspect, stony and unresponsive: dour rejection of friendly overtures. Surly implies gruffness of speech and manner, usually accompanied by an air of injury and ill temper: a surly reply.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of glum
1425–75; late Middle English; variant of gloom
Explanation
To be glum is to be sad. Glum is a word for being depressed, bummed out, or down in the dumps. People who are glum are sometimes said to be sullen, brooding, morose, and moody. Glum folks don't smile, giggle, or laugh — and they're rarely seen holding balloons. Being glum is a little more outward-directed than just being sad. To be glum is to act sad in front of other people, almost like you want them to ask, "Why so glum?"
Vocabulary lists containing glum
Bud, Not Buddy
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List 8
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Even More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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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.
There were glum faces in the directors' box as Chelsea failed to compete against Brighton, in what one senior source described as a turning point in the club's stance on Rosenior.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
Don’t expect us to remain upset or all feel glum at the same time.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
As April 12 elections near, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party contends with glum voters and economic woes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
The Agnus Dei begins in glum realization that there may be no compensation for humanity’s great sins when, again astonishingly without expectation, one of Beethoven’s uniquely wondrous melodies takes over.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
The usual brightness was gone from his eyes and he walked with a sort of glum determination like an old man.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
