sullen

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.

Those sullen teens trailing their parents toward the taco truck—why the hooded sweatshirts in 84-degree heat and 72-percent humidity?

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2025

She immediately picks up that something isn’t right between a mother who has come in with her sullen adolescent son.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

There is immense depth behind her sparkling eyes, which she can turn sullen in a second.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2025

His mood was sullen, according to Meridith McGraw, author of Trump in Exile, an account of the former president’s time after leaving the White House.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

I was sullen and dependent on my mother's sole attention, tender-hearted, and whiney: the classic temperament of the artist but without anything to show for my bad character.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez