saturnine

American  

[sat-er-nahyn] / ˈsæt ərˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.

2. suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.

3. due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.

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saturnine British  

/ ˌsætəˈnɪnɪtɪ, ˈsætəˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. having a gloomy temperament; taciturn

2. archaic

   1. of or relating to lead

   2. having or symptomatic of lead poisoning

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Other Word Forms

• saturninely adverb
• saturnineness noun
• saturninity noun

Etymology

Origin of saturnine

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin sāturnīnus ( Saturn, -ine ¹ )

Example Sentences

Slatkin noted that the recording, released in 1955, didn’t sell well, probably thanks to the album cover’s saturnine painting of a composer that few would recognize.

From Los Angeles Times

Cool-kid chefs turning local bounty into Michelin-worthy dishes, an artisan whisky boom and a clutch of stylish hotels have helped Scotland shrug off its saturnine image and rebrand as a misty, moody mecca.

From New York Times

Waters emerged as its new, more saturnine leader.

From New York Times

But even in that calm gloom, my eyes slowly acclimated to the 14 grandly saturnine paintings, made by Mark Rothko in the late 1960s.

From New York Times

Whatever might come, this would not be a tenure of earth tones and lethargy and saturnine expressions.

From New York Times