MOROSE Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

morose

adjective

mə-ˈrōs

Definition of morose next

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

Examples 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 flamboyant conceptual artist is talking to her stepdaughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), who’s grown from the morose teenager of Beetlejuice (1988) into the middle-aged star of a hokey ghost-hunting reality show. —

Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024 Amelio uses the surging epidemic to bring all three protagonists together again, shifting locations to a morose quarantine facility where Giulio has basically been sentenced to die. —

Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2024 Leno joked that the title was too morose for a Christmas gift, and moved on. —

Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press, 16 Aug. 2024 Fame, climate anxiety, choosing a car seat: What’s next for these morose protagonists? —

Annie Berke, Washington Post, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for morose

Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose

Adjective

The somber music should have been my first clue, but I was too wrapped up in the euphoria of Jane soon realizing that someone valued her life enough to save her from certain death.

— Lincee Ray, EW.com, 18 Jan. 2025
When a photographer suggests that the family pose with a somber demeanor for a shot that will be featured in an article about Rubens’ disappearance, Eunice refuses, instructing her children to smile broadly.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025