sullenly
Americanadverb
-
in a way that shows irritation, ill humor, or gloom; morosely.
In the next room, an embittered, lonely man sits sullenly.
-
with a gloomy or dismal sound.
The door thudded sullenly behind her.
The waves roared sullenly against the base of the cliff.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sullenly
Explanation
Someone who acts sullenly seems gloomy, dissatisfied — not happy to be there. If you act sullenly at your grandparents' anniversary party, you can expect to be taken aside and told, "Cheer up. Now." The picture of someone acting sullenly? It's a person slumped in a chair, arms crossed, sighing a lot. The adverb sullenly is used to describe something that's done glumly, or in a very bad-tempered way. Anyone who is in the mood to complain will speak or respond sullenly, like a little kid who's been dragged along on a car trip and speaks up sullenly from time to time to ask, "Are we there yet?"
Vocabulary lists containing sullenly
The Outsiders
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Touching Spirit Bear
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The Jungle Book
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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.
Sullenly clenching His embalmed fists, He peered through a crack, Just pretending to be dead.
From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2017
Sullenly the strikers realized the hatred that they had stirred up.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sullenly, in California, Senator Johnson sits twiddling his thumbs.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sullenly, the majority of his audience kept silent.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sullenly she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
