Sullenness

Sullenness
Sullen Sul"len, a. [OE. solein, solain, lonely, sullen; through Old French fr. (assumed) LL. solanus solitary, fr. L. solus alone. See {Sole}, a.] 1. Lonely; solitary; desolate. [Obs.] --Wyclif (Job iii. 14). [1913 Webster]

2. Gloomy; dismal; foreboding. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Solemn hymns so sullen dirges change. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Mischievous; malignant; unpropitious. [1913 Webster]

Such sullen planets at my birth did shine. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

4. Gloomily angry and silent; cross; sour; affected with ill humor; morose. [1913 Webster]

And sullen I forsook the imperfect feast. --Prior. [1913 Webster]

5. Obstinate; intractable. [1913 Webster]

Things are as sullen as we are. --Tillotson. [1913 Webster]

6. Heavy; dull; sluggish. ``The larger stream was placid, and even sullen, in its course.'' --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Sulky; sour; cross; ill-natured; morose; peevish; fretful; ill-humored; petulant; gloomy; malign; intractable.

Usage: {Sullen}, {Sulky}. Both sullen and sulky show themselves in the demeanor. Sullenness seems to be an habitual sulkiness, and sulkiness a temporary sullenness. The former may be an innate disposition; the latter, a disposition occasioned by recent injury. Thus we are in a sullen mood, and in a sulky fit. [1913 Webster]

No cheerful breeze this sullen region knows; The dreaded east is all the wind that blows. --Pope. [1913 Webster] -- {Sul"len*ly}, adv. -- {Sul"len*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • sullenness — is spelt with two ns …   Modern English usage

  • Sullenness — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Sullenness >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 sullenness sullenness &c. >Adj. Sgm: N 1 morosity morosity spleen Sgm: N 1 churlishness churlishness &c.(discourtesy) 895 Sgm: N 1 irascibility irascibility &c. 901 …   English dictionary for students

  • sullenness — sullen ► ADJECTIVE ▪ bad tempered and sulky. DERIVATIVES sullenly adverb sullenness noun. ORIGIN originally in the senses «averse to company» and «unusual»: from Old French sulein, from sol sole …   English terms dictionary

  • sullenness — noun see sullen …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sullenness — See sullenly. * * * …   Universalium

  • sullenness — noun a) The state or quality of being sullen. b) The result or product of being sullen …   Wiktionary

  • sullenness — (Roget s IV) n. Syn. sulkiness, moodiness, petulance, acrimony; see anger …   English dictionary for students

  • sullenness — sul·len·ness || sÊŒlÉ™nɪs n. sulkiness, moroseness, brooding resentment; gloominess; sluggishness …   English contemporary dictionary

  • sullenness — n. 1. Moroseness, moodiness, sourness, churlishness, spleen, sulkiness, ill temper, bad blood. 2. Gloominess, sombreness, dismalness. 3. Sluggishness, slowness, heaviness. 4. Obstinacy, intractableness, stubbornness, intractability. 5. Malignity …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • sullenness — n 1. crossness, angriness, anger; ill or bad temper, ill or bad humor, ill or bad mood, sulk, sulks. 2. sulkiness, moroseness, mumpishness, glumness, moodiness; resentfulness, bitterness, embitteredness; acrimoniousness, acerbity, choler, spleen …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

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