1
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness how can you be glum after such a great day?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of glum are crabbed, gloomy, morose, saturnine, sulky, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

When is crabbed a more appropriate choice than glum?

Although the words crabbed and glum have much in common, crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When can gloomy be used instead of glum?

In some situations, the words gloomy and glum are roughly equivalent. However, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

How do morose and glum relate to one another?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When might saturnine be a better fit than glum?

While the synonyms saturnine and glum are close in meaning, 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 glum?

The words sulky and glum can be used in similar contexts, but sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When would sullen be a good substitute for glum?

The meanings of sullen and glum largely overlap; however, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

When could surly be used to replace glum?

The synonyms surly and glum are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 glum Here, the New York scenes are far too glum to coexist with the breezy maneuvering that’s happening in the present, and giving the lead an illusory disabled brother to talk to from time to time feels like the worst version of a wannabe Shyamalan twist. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2025 Fey asked a smiling Reynolds, who quickly grew glum and suspicious. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2025 But after blanking at the Screen Actors Guild and BAFTAs, Kidman’s performance as a glum tech CEO who begins an office affair with young intern had lost too much momentum for Oscar recognition. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 The total number of Champagne shipments from France sank nearly 10% last year to 271 million bottles, marking the second consecutive year of declines as inflation-weary consumers cut back and a generally glum mood permeates across the globe. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for glum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glum
Adjective
  • Outside of the December slide, this is as bleak as it’s looked for the Rangers this season.
    Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Voters were also asked to give one word to describe the Democratic Party, and the responses were bleak.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.
    Rachel Ng, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Among the greater Eilish team, the sentiment is that of a somber parting, but there remains great respect and appreciation for the tremendous successes, milestones and memories shared with Rukasin and Goodman.
    Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The Opening Day festivities in the Bronx took on a somber tone Thursday as the Yankees honored the late son of former outfielder Brett Gardner.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Swelling in the hands and feet, getting sick frequently, feeling depressed, or having wounds that are slow to heal.
    Lorena Meouchi, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The photographer asked me to act sad and depressed, to stop smiling.
    Gaylyn Henderson, MPH, Health, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Strong winds also may have North Texans feeling more irritable, which scientists blame on there being too many positive ions in the air.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Signs of overextension burnout include feeling emotionally drained, becoming irritable and struggling to focus—all of which can affect both your work and personal life.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The results were conclusive: More than two-thirds (69%) of seniors felt lonely a majority of the time (50% of the time or more) before moving into a senior living community.
    Sara Zeff Geber, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Being lonely is terrible for a person’s mental health.
    Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite that success, Willard was unhappy with the program’s financial commitments.
    Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The extra time will presumably be used to fix whatever about the season executives are unhappy with.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The collection of slab-like columns by Derek McLane, lit in sickly, sullen colors by Natasha Katz, could be anywhere.
    Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
  • My partner came home from work to find a sullen child whimpering in his room.
    Jann Blackstone, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Glum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glum. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on glum

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!