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

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

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 morose In search of a fresh sound after Bucketgate, Bieber found it with Skrillex and Diplo, veteran dance-music producers who took a morose piano ballad that Bieber and his frequent accomplice Poo Bear had demoed and turned it into a glimmering boudoir-rave fantasia. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026 Rivera is still alive but morose; Kahlo, his much younger wife and fellow artist, has been dead for three years, having expired at 47 following a life of near-constant pain. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026 For his performance as the morose, sad-eyed—but genuinely threatening—sidekick to Pacino’s combustible grandstander, Cazale was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as best supporting actor. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026 The album’s best moments come when Joji deploys the noisy, aggressive production favored by morose rappers like fakemink, Bladee, and Playboi Carti. — Mehan Jayasuriya, Pitchfork, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for morose

Recent Examples of Synonyms for morose

Adjective

The daughter of a brass tree guest told me that on the last day, her mother pulled her aside and offered a somber warning.

— Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Miller's new ad opens with a somber sequence of close-ups of various people's faces as the congressman talks about how divorce affects families.

— Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of somber

Adjective

Under Sorrells, morale at the office is bleak and has resulted in an exodus, according to two veteran prosecutors who left the office and spoke on the condition they not be identified.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Yet missing from this bleak picture are the ways that Ukraine has already adapted to escalating attacks.

— Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of bleak

Adjective

Maybe the most vivid reminder was what happened after a similarly depressing defeat in 2021 in the last game in which Mahomes played and the Chiefs managed only a field goal.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
In another depressing week for the UK’s public broadcaster, there were more cuts, talk of even more cuts and programs scrapped, as the BBC’s desperate bid to make the books work continues under former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressing

Adjective

The performances range from Sara Bareilles to Johnny Cash songs to unexpected tearjerkers, but the night’s real draw is a welcoming room where people share their sorrows, feel less lonely and build friendships.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Many of society’s loneliest and most attention-starved members become its most desperate and violent.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of lonely

Adjective

The ad is characteristic of the increasingly dark tone Hilton’s campaign has taken on in the home stretch.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Netanyahu's supporters see him as a steady hand and a consummate statesman who has led Israel through a war of redemption after the country's darkest hour.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Adjective

The spirituality throughout is imbued with a solemn reverence more Catholic than Baptist.

— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
This production, solemn about our obligations to one another but committed to providing a good night out at the theater, is neither.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solemn

Browse Nearby Words

morons

morose

morosely

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morose. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of morose

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Another Ten Ways to Improve Your...

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes

Synonyms of morose

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to morose

Another Ten Ways to Improve Your...

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes