Definitions

morose

[muh-rohs] / məˈroʊs /

ADJECTIVE

depressed, pessimistic

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cranky dour gloomy glum grouchy melancholy mournful sad sullen surly testy ugly

WEAK

acrimonious blue brusque cantankerous choleric churlish crabbed crabby cross dolorous down down in the dumps down in the mouth frowning gruff harsh having blue devils having the blahs ill-humored ill-tempered in a bad mood in a blue funk irritable low moody moping perverse perversive saturnine singing the blues snappish sour splenetic sulky taciturn troubled

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright cheerful content gentle happy joyful pleasant

WEAK

friendly light-hearted optimistic uplifted

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Holmes shows how the unstable and morose Tennyson, born in the wild Romantic age of Byron, Coleridge and Shelley, grew into the settled and self-satisfied voice of Victorian England.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

A morose horse, rice cakes, and a Harry Potter villain have become surprise hits in China ahead of the country's Lunar New Year holiday.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

For starters, some chronic oversavers can be anxious and morose.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025

Before Plath there were Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson and the Brontë sisters, each with her own morose devotees.

From Salon • May 7, 2024

His head swung slowly around toward the chaplain with a look of morose impatience.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Vocabulary lists containing morose

The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone

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Animal Farm

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!