morose

adjective

mə-ˈrōs How to pronounce morose (audio)
Definition of morosenext
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How is the word morose different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of morose are crabbed, gloomy, glum, saturnine, sulky, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When can crabbed be used instead of morose?

The synonyms crabbed and morose are sometimes interchangeable, but crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than morose?

The meanings of gloomy and morose largely overlap; however, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

In what contexts can glum take the place of morose?

The words glum and morose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

Where would saturnine be a reasonable alternative to morose?

Although the words saturnine and morose have much in common, saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When is it sensible to use sulky instead of morose?

While the synonyms sulky and morose are close in meaning, sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When could sullen be used to replace morose?

The words sullen and morose can be used in similar contexts, but sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

When might surly be a better fit than morose?

While in some cases nearly identical to morose, surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of morose But none of it would have landed had Gad, Lee, and the rest of the Frozen 2 creative team stuck with the morose original cut. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025 And, unrehearsed, Rogers sang the morose song of past love and played the piano, a real treat for fans who've been following her for the past decade. —Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 13 Oct. 2024 Labuschagne cut a rather morose figure in the first Bazball- inspired Ashes encounter in June last year. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 That said, this encounter between a morose Jamie and his sister’s housemaid, Mary McNab, is a meaningful one and bears including. —Amy Wilkinson, Vulture, 23 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for morose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose
  1. somber
  2. bleak
  3. depressive
  4. depressing
  5. lonely
  6. dark
  7. desolate
  8. morbid
Adjective
  • Field’s somber, clear-eyed Sonya has ardent desires but few illusions.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
  • At a somber bill-signing less than a month after the mass shooting at the school, Scott was joined by parents of the Parkland victims and area legislators in his office in the state Capitol in Tallahassee.
    — Steve Bousquet, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
  • However, experts have raised concerns about the health of the American economy, warning that the outlook for U.S. businesses and consumers may be bleak, a sentiment shared by many industry executives.
    — Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Researchers were surprised that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par or even more significant than the reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Tragically, they are killed by their mother, who drowns them in a manic depressive episode while their father is away on business.
    — Nicole Briese, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Definition of depressive
Adjective
  • Still, overall traffic expectations in Meridian are basically pretty depressing.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Depending on your point of view, either the depressing vibes outweigh the gorgeous animation or the gorgeous animation outweighs the depressing vibes.
    — Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Retirement has been described by many who struggle as being incredibly lonely.
    — Lorraine Wiseman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • Boat Rocker’s slate currently comprises the likes of 1980s throwback dark comedy Video Nasty, drama series Mix Tape and Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s Sundance 2024 doc War Game.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The outage was random and intermittent, lasting for 45 minutes at a time, then resuming only to go dark again for another 45 minutes.
    — John Brandon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score.
    — Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025
  • But a tire mark left on a desolate road near a missing woman’s car changes everything.
    — Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • In medicine—by this morbid measure, at least—women and men are on an even playing field.
    — Christopher M. Worsham, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
  • March brings his Everyman charisma to the part of Dr. Jekyll, a scientist with a morbid fascination with the goodness and evil of humanity.
    — EW.com, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of morbid

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Cite this Entry

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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