Synonym Chooser

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 The extent to which Matthew overtakes the story can be jarring, as that process is diffused across several amusing but increasingly morose asides. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2025 In this family road-trip pic set during the 2008 financial crisis, one disturbing sequence after another is played out on the morose face of John Magaro, who is clearly keeping the truth from them — and us — of what this journey is actually all about. Damon Wise, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025 The always astonishing Ben Whishaw plays the sweet, morose, gay, chain-smoking, furtively sincere, faraway-eyed Hujar, a veteran freelance photographer who was just coming into his own as a gallery artist and downtown scenester. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for morose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose
Adjective
  • His overjoyed demeanor starkly contrasted with his somber appearance in court just a day before when jurors said they were deadlocked on one of the five counts.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
  • However, while circumstances were smooth-sailing at the start, things quickly took a somber turn on July 2, 1937.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Some traders said the numbers were less severe than analysts' bleak forecasts.
    Sabrina Valle, USA Today, 3 July 2025
  • No one is as funny and as bleak in the same sentence, or maybe even the same word.
    Literary Hub July 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Adolescents whose career or education decisions are steered by their parents often experience school burnout, increased anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
    Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Early phases of the trial showed a significant, 60 percent remission in depressive symptoms after eight weeks.
    John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s a depressing setup, but the film is a lot gentler.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
  • And on that depressing thought, that's how Squid Game ended.
    EW.com, EW.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • While Bowie envisioned an Earth careening toward apocalypse in a flamboyant, theatrical cry, Drake’s five leaves are quieter, lonelier — more like the end of a season than the end of a world.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 5 July 2025
  • By January, Musk had transitioned to lieutenant, making up DOGE, complete with cringey swag, like a lonely preteen dreaming up a secret club in his tree house.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • The duo stepped out in complementary dark ensembles, with Hayek wearing one of her favorite footwear looks — hefty platform heels — with a black velvet dress.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
  • My perspective always seems a bit darker and less hopeful.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • For starters, no one would ever describe them as empty or desolate.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
  • Of the 14 missiles, 13 were intercepted, with the final munition allowed to land harmlessly in a desolate area.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • The morbid spectacle spawned podcasts, documentaries and multiple changes to state law.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 June 2025
  • There’s also the morbid curiosity about Brian’s death.
    Tyler Hicks, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://x0upouf933.proxynodejs.usequeue.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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