morose
adjective
mo·rose mə-ˈrōs 
mȯ-
1
: having a sullen and gloomy disposition
2
: marked by or expressive of gloom
morosely adverb
moroseness noun
morosity
mə-ˈrä-sə-tē
noun mȯ-
Synonyms
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- depressive
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morbid
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She thought of the bootlegger at home—a raddled, skinny old man, morose and suspicious. He sat on his front step with a shotgun on Halloween night. 
Alice Munro, Runaway, 2004 We have little finished footage to go by, but enough to give us pause: an exquisite clip of Rochefort, sitting with a book in the half-darkness, his eyes wet, gleaming, and morose. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2003 I have never known if Momma sent for us, or if the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence. There is nothing more appalling than a constantly morose child. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone. those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection
Alice Munro, Runaway, 2004 We have little finished footage to go by, but enough to give us pause: an exquisite clip of Rochefort, sitting with a book in the half-darkness, his eyes wet, gleaming, and morose. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2003 I have never known if Momma sent for us, or if the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence. There is nothing more appalling than a constantly morose child. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone. those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection Recent Examples on the Web But if that’s too morose, imagine a lifetime achievement award. Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Between the album’s many attempts at confessional music is a sprinkling of the indistinct pop that Post has been refining over the years, clearly meant to keep things from getting too morose. Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 9 June 2022 In the first couple of episodes of the new show, Pike is morose and obsessing about his future. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 May 2022 While one game in the collection hinges on death and the afterlife in a slightly morose way, and another includes black-and-white, small-sprite samurai combat (and is awesome), this content is fine for anyone 12 and up. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 18 Apr. 2022 All of Degas’s ironic, morose and unsentimental intelligence is on display in these sentences. Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2021 This is a morose serial-killer thriller, visually muted like a TV movie. Gem Seddon, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2021 Campus was quiet and morose, the silences quivering with early-term nerves. New York Times, 2 Feb. 2021 Even as tech optimism is obvious, sentiment in much of the rest of the market remains morose. James Mackintosh, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2020 See More
Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 16 June 2022 Between the album’s many attempts at confessional music is a sprinkling of the indistinct pop that Post has been refining over the years, clearly meant to keep things from getting too morose. Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 9 June 2022 In the first couple of episodes of the new show, Pike is morose and obsessing about his future. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 May 2022 While one game in the collection hinges on death and the afterlife in a slightly morose way, and another includes black-and-white, small-sprite samurai combat (and is awesome), this content is fine for anyone 12 and up. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 18 Apr. 2022 All of Degas’s ironic, morose and unsentimental intelligence is on display in these sentences. Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2021 This is a morose serial-killer thriller, visually muted like a TV movie. Gem Seddon, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2021 Campus was quiet and morose, the silences quivering with early-term nerves. New York Times, 2 Feb. 2021 Even as tech optimism is obvious, sentiment in much of the rest of the market remains morose. James Mackintosh, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin morosus, literally, capricious, from mor-, mos will
First Known Use
1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
morose
adjective
mo·rose mə-ˈrōs
mȯ-
: very serious, unhappy, and quiet
She became morose and spoke to no one.
moroseness
noun
as in morbidness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- morbidness
- ennui
- boredom
- drear
- hopelessness
- tedium
- despair
- morosity
- desperation
- dismalness
- regret
- discouragement
- moodiness
- disheartenment
- misery
- self-despair
- sorrow
- wretchedness
- rue
- somberness
- melancholia
- woe
- distress
- grief
- mourning
- anguish
- agony
- dolor
- self-pity
- woefulness
- pain
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- joyousness
- joy
- happiness
- exuberance
- joyfulness
- intoxication
- exultation
- elation
- euphoria
- ecstasy
- bliss
- jubilation
- mirth
- rapture
- gaiety
- felicity
- gayety
- exhilaration
- gladness
- joviality
- jollity
- lightheartedness
- humor
- cheerfulness
- glee
- optimism
- heaven
- cheeriness
- blissfulness
- hopefulness
- mirthfulness
- gayness
- merriment
- contentment
- gleefulness
- elatedness
- rapturousness
- gladsomeness
- satisfaction
- sunniness
- contentedness
- cheer
- content
- gratification
- delight