How to Use sullen in a Sentence

sullen

adjective
Definition of sullennext
Synonyms for sullennext
  • Dune suggests a sullen view of the world and the future.
    — Armond White, National Review, 22 Oct. 2021
  • Next spring might well look rather sullen, even if the sun shines.
    — Hannah Coates, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
  • The Garden went from lifeless and sullen to loud and lovin’ it.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2019
  • The girls — 10-year-old Sara and Safa, 7 — weren’t talking much, and Aria was sullen.
    — Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2021
  • One was the sullen sky and swampy feel of humid late July.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 30 July 2022
  • Jacob was gaunt and sullen, his beard tied in two long braids.
    — Zach Williams, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2022
  • Both boys were silent and sullen and refused to engage with the rest of the family for the rest of the week.
    — Amy Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Both boys were silent, sullen and refused to engage with the rest of the family for the rest of the week.
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Both boys were silent, sullen, and refused to engage with the rest of the family for the rest of the week.
    — Amy Dickinson, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Apr. 2018
  • Off to the side, though, is a group of sullen men whose dark clothing contrasts with the earth tones of the locals.
    — New York Times, 26 July 2021
  • The descent could have been a sullen bulwark of steel and cement.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
  • The blow is such that we're told a sullen Hamilton may or may not return for 2022.
    — Steven Cole Smith, Car and Driver, 21 Aug. 2022
  • The river at this point (more properly a fjord, a riverbed drowned by the sea) is vast and sullen.
    — Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 20 Aug. 2020
  • The players on France’s bench were up off all their feet all night cheering; the U.S. side felt sullen.
    — Sean Gregory/tokyo, Time, 25 July 2021
  • Tony, on the other hand, only grew more sullen with each hit.
    — Chris Rush, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
  • See the show that has the gym’s sullen front-desk employees shrugging.
    — Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2017
  • As we were headed back up, my father was sullen, and walked far ahead of me.
    — Madeleine Watts, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
  • Okay, great, so why even hire all the sullen extras crossing their arms?
    — Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2021
  • This sullen act landed her in the top spot of the Spotify and Billboard charts.
    — Armond White, National Review, 21 July 2021
  • My boyfriend, Gates, was sullen in the other room, staring at a screen of thermal pants.
    — Ella Riley-Adams, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2022
  • But that sullen teenager left his bedroom, got dolled-up, and took himself to the prom!
    — Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 28 June 2022
  • Wang’s son, now a teen-ager, is shown sitting at his desk, looking a bit sullen.
    — Andrea Denhoed, The New Yorker, 5 June 2019
  • And this when nonbank lenders’ moods are already sullen.
    — Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019
  • Photos show a sullen-looking Trump standing next to the queen, hands at his side, a frown on his face.
    — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 4 June 2019
  • Her teenage daughter Sara (Laura Galán) is sullen and alone.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2022
  • That was also a time of the sullen track superstar and an era marred by doping.
    — Eddie Pells, ajc, 17 July 2022
  • Two middle-aged women sat down in front of me, quiet and sullen.
    — Shanna Farrell, SFChronicle.com, 18 Oct. 2019
  • For the rest of the week, Jerome remained sullen, only frowning at Tiny or grumbling her way.
    — Rion Amilcar Scott, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2019
  • Guchkov sat there sullen, propping his head up on the table by his elbows.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, National Review, 13 Oct. 2021
  • One of them is the leader’s portly kid brother, the other a sullen cop killer who joined them on the breakout.
    — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sullen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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