adjective
sullen
SUH-luhn
adjective
1
Gloomy, silent, and bad-tempered.
"He gave a sullen nod and said nothing else."
"The sky turned a sullen grey before the storm."
How to Use Sullen
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishQuietly bad-tempered and withdrawn, often with a look of resentment.
Common pairings
a sullen mood
sullen silence
sullen expression
Word Forms
sullener comparative, sullened past tense, sullens plural, sullens singular, sullenest superlative
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Etymology
From Middle English soleyn, "alone," from Old French sole, "single." The meaning shifted from "solitary" to "morose" during Middle English.