sullen

/ˈsʌlən/

/ˈsʌlɪn/

Other forms: sullener; sullenest

A bad-tempered or gloomy person is sullen. Sullen people are down in the dumps.

If someone is dark, dour, glum, moody, morose, or sour, they're also sullen. Teenagers are often described as sullen, especially when they're being grumpy and silent. You often hear about "a sullen silence," which is when someone is quiet, but obviously in a lousy mood. If a sullen person is talking, they're probably not saying much, and they might not be doing much beyond grunting. A sullen person isn't much fun to be around.

Definitions of sullen

1. adjective

   showing a brooding ill humor
   “a sullen crowd”

   synonyms: dark, dour, glowering, glum, moody, morose, saturnine, sour

   ill-natured

   having an irritable and unpleasant disposition
2. adjective

   darkened by clouds
   synonyms: heavy, lowering, threatening

   cloudy

   full of or covered with clouds