in a bad mood

1. In an irritable or depressed state of mind. For example, Dad's in a bad mood, so don't ask for anything right now. The antonym, in a good mood, refers to a cheerful, well-disposed state of mind, as in When the boss is in a good mood our whole day goes well. The phrase in a mood, meaning “disposed” or “inclined,” dates from about a.d. 1000. Also see in the mood.

Example Sentences

St. John Bosco is in a bad mood after losing to Mater Dei, so look for quarterback Koa Malau’ulu to have a big game for the top-seeded Braves.

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The hard part’s learning how to switch gears — trying to be funny when you’re in a bad mood from the business call you just had to deal with.

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“He was just pontificating about his plans — ‘We’re gonna do this and we’re gonna do that,’” Leadon recalls of that gathering, “and I felt non-consulted. I was in a bad mood, impulsive. I poured a beer on his head. Of course, he took exception to that. Then maybe a month or two later, we had a heart-to-heart and I said, ‘Yeah, I think I should go.’

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Of course, it may also have been that Hamilton did not turn up because he was in a bad mood after a difficult weekend and he didn't fancy arguing the toss over an incident that would make no difference to the result of his race.

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“Paul is an actor, and when I talked to him, you couldn’t really tell if he was in a bad mood, unless he wanted you to. And you couldn’t tell if he didn’t feel well, unless he wanted you to,” she said.

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Related Words

• cranky 
• dour 
• gloomy 
• glum 
• grouchy 
• melancholy 
• mournful 
• sad 
• sullen 
• surly 
• testy 
• ugly