adj C1 Advanced

glum

gluhm

Glum (adj) means Sad, sullen, or in low spirits. Example: “He looked glum after hearing the bad news.”

adj

Sad, sullen, or in low spirits.

"He looked glum after hearing the bad news."

"The team sat in glum silence after losing the final."

How to use glum

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDown in the dumps — visibly unhappy or moody.

Common mistake

Similar to "gloomy" but "glum" describes a person's sullen mood, while "gloomy" more often describes an atmosphere, weather, or outlook.

Easily confused with

gloomy →

Common pairings

a glum face glum expression feeling glum

glummer comparative, glummed past tense, glums singular, glummest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

He looked _____ after hearing the bad news.

Probably from a Low German word related to "gloomy," describing a dark, sullen mood.

Origin: German

lum plum slum Blum

What does “glum” mean?

The word “glum” means sad, sullen, or in low spirits. In plain terms, down in the dumps — visibly unhappy or moody.

How do you pronounce “glum”?

“Glum” is pronounced gluhm (/ɡlʌm/ in IPA).

How do you use “glum” in a sentence?

Here is “glum” used in a sentence: “He looked glum after hearing the bad news.”

What part of speech is “glum”?

“Glum” is an adjective.

Where does the word “glum” come from?

The word “glum” comes from German. Probably from a Low German word related to "gloomy," describing a dark, sullen mood.

Vocabulary lists that include glum: