1 morose | Definition of morose
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morose

adjective
mo·​rose | \ mə-ˈrōs How to pronounce morose (audio) , mȯ-\

Definition of morose

1 : having a sullen and gloomy disposition
2 : marked by or expressive of gloom
Other Words from morose Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about morose

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Other Words from morose

morosely adverb
moroseness noun
morosity \ mə-​ˈrä-​sə-​tē How to pronounce morosity (audio) , mȯ-​ \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for morose

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood. sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable. remained sullen amid the festivities glum suggests a silent dispiritedness. a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy. morose job seekers who are inured to rejection surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner. a typical surly teenager sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness. grew sulky after every spat crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner. the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition. a saturnine cynic always finding fault gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness. a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Examples of morose in a Sentence

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 — Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969 He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.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
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The subtext of spousal abuse, coupled with a tragic fate that befalls one of the store’s workers, lends the film, by Thomas Stuber, a melancholy tone bordering on the morose. — Michael O'sullivan, Twin Cities, "Love blossoms in the aisles of a big-box store in the German drama ‘In the Aisles’," 18 July 2019 The subtext of spousal abuse, coupled with a tragic fate that befalls one of the store’s workers, lends the film, by Thomas Stuber, a melancholy tone bordering on the morose. — Michael O'sullivan, Twin Cities, "Love blossoms in the aisles of a big-box store in the German drama ‘In the Aisles’," 18 July 2019 The subtext of spousal abuse, coupled with a tragic fate that befalls one of the store’s workers, lends the film, by Thomas Stuber, a melancholy tone bordering on the morose. — Michael O'sullivan, Twin Cities, "Love blossoms in the aisles of a big-box store in the German drama ‘In the Aisles’," 18 July 2019 The subtext of spousal abuse, coupled with a tragic fate that befalls one of the store’s workers, lends the film, by Thomas Stuber, a melancholy tone bordering on the morose. — Michael O'sullivan, Twin Cities, "Love blossoms in the aisles of a big-box store in the German drama ‘In the Aisles’," 18 July 2019 British singer-songwriter Scheller grounds things with his pleasantly low, almost morose delivery. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "From Banks' Cathartic 'Godless' to Ed Sheeran and Stormzy's Collaboration, These Are the 5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Weekend," 12 July 2019 At the rose ceremony (no cocktail party, a morose Chris Harrison informs the men), Luke gets to stay, along with Jed, Mike, and Connor, meaning that Dylan and Dustin get the boot. — Joyce Chen, refinery29.com, "The Bachelorette Season 15 Episode 7: Free Falling," 25 June 2019 The subtext of spousal abuse, coupled with a tragic fate that befalls one of the store’s workers, lends the film, by Thomas Stuber, a melancholy tone bordering on the morose. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Review: Exploring love while working the night-shift," 21 June 2019 Similar elements suffuse the morose Euphoria, which stars actor-singer-author-activist Zendaya as 17-year-old drug addict Rue Bennett. — Judy Berman, Time, "In HBO’s Bleak Gen Z Drama, Euphoria Is the Opposite of Happiness," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'morose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of morose

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for morose

Latin morosus, literally, capricious, from mor-, mos will

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