sulk
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sulks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sulked,
past participle, past
-
sulking
present participle
noun
-
a state or fit of sulking.
-
sulks, ill-humor shown by sulking.
to be in the sulks.
-
Also sulker. a person who sulks.
verb
noun
-
(often plural) a state or mood of feeling resentful or sullen
he's in a sulk because he lost the game
he's got the sulks
-
Also: sulker. a person who sulks
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sulksimple
-
sulkssimple
-
have sulkedperfect
-
has sulkedperfect
-
am sulkingprogressive
-
are sulkingprogressive
-
is sulkingprogressive
-
have been sulkingperfect progressive
-
has been sulkingperfect progressive
Past
-
sulkedsimple
-
had sulkedperfect
-
was sulkingprogressive
-
were sulkingprogressive
-
had been sulkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sulk
First recorded in 1775–85; back formation from sulky
Explanation
When you are displeased by something and you let your gloomy mood show, you're sulking. Do you want to bake another cake, or are you going to sulk all day about the one you dropped? When you say someone sulks, the tone of the word suggests the person is overdoing it. You wouldn't accuse a widow of sulking at her husband's funeral, because she has a good reason to be sad and gloomy. Instead of sulking because you messed up your tuba solo during the concert, why not put your energy into practice? Or switch to violin.
Vocabulary lists containing sulk
Where the Red Fern Grows
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
My Brother Sam is Dead
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Out of the Dust
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Kane said Bayern had "no time to sulk" and "would not let the defeat define our season".
From Barron's ● Jan. 24, 2026
Nine months later, after the New Year's Eve party where Joel messes up again by trying to defend Ellie, he excuses himself to sulk with Ellie’s guitar on his porch.
From Salon ● May 19, 2025
They have had their post-2023 World Cup sulk and everyone has regrouped and moved on to the next challenge in 2027.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2025
The youngsters sulk, stomp and scamper, pull pranks and horse around.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
She would sulk, then go find a new stalk, and the same mishap would repeat.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
"All players want to play, it's normal, it's what makes us happy. I have team-mates who want to play too, but no one sulks," Griezmann told reporters.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
And as he goes off and sulks at being denied, she coaxes him back.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2022
Ramón de Ocampo, who plays Hamlet, broods and sulks as any Hamlet must.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022
There is a poignant depiction of a timeout: A redhead with pigtails sulks on a stool, tiny against a background of solid black.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
“Anthony used to get the sulks, too,” said the Mellower’s mother.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
Although it’s his version of normal, Randolph said he wouldn’t blame the boy if Carter curled up in a ball and sulked about it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
When I first graduated, I moved back in with my parents and sulked around because I was unemployed and without an internship lined up.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Some 17-year-olds might have sulked at the prospect of swapping the glamour of the Premier League for games against Grimsby and Peterborough.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
Little Man never acted out; he never sulked or stormed off in frustration.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 25, 2022
But it was hard not to laugh, and Fred sulked at the bottom of the cove when Selkie finally let him go.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
That shows you his mentality - not sulking because he isn't playing but looking for alternatives.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
So does not sulking when kids don’t invite you on their vacation or forget to send Mother’s Day cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
Elio doesn’t do too much sulking before he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary take on the United Nations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
The Mariners lost Sunday, but they weren’t sulking.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
Chronically ill, having recently lost two young children, his wife was described as “stupid, sulking, lonely, melancholy.”
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
