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sullen

[ suhl-uhn ]
/ ˈsʌl ən /
||
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adjective

showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve.
persistently and silently ill-humored; morose.
indicative of gloomy ill humor.
gloomy or dismal, as weather or a sound.
sluggish, as a stream.
Obsolete. malignant, as planets or influences.

RELATED WORDS

acrimony, anger, moroseness, gloominess, moodiness

Nearby words

  1. sulindac,
  2. sulk,
  3. sulky,
  4. sulla,
  5. sullage,
  6. sullenly,
  7. sullivan,
  8. sullivan, harry stack,
  9. sullivan, john,
  10. sullivan, john lawrence

Origin of sullen

1565–75; earlier solein, Middle English < ?
SYNONYMS FOR sullen
1 See cross.
1, 2 See glum.
2 sulky, moody, sour, bad-tempered.
4 cheerless, clouded, overcast, somber, mournful, dark.
5 slow, stagnant.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sullen ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formssul·len·ly, adverbsul·len·ness, nounun·sul·len, adjectiveun·sul·len·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sullenness

British Dictionary definitions for sullenness

sullen

/ (ˈsʌlən) /

adjective

unwilling to talk or be sociable; sulky; morose
sombre; gloomya sullen day
literary sluggish; slowa sullen stream
obsolete threatening

noun

(plural) archaic a sullen mood
Derived Formssullenly, adverbsullenness, noun

Word Origin for sullen

C16: perhaps from Anglo-French solain (unattested), ultimately related to Latin sōlus alone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012