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as in sad
feeling unhappiness how can you be glum after such a great day?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word glum different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of glum are crabbed, gloomy, morose, saturnine, sulky, sullen, and surly. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

When is crabbed a more appropriate choice than glum?

Although the words crabbed and glum have much in common, crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When can gloomy be used instead of glum?

In some situations, the words gloomy and glum are roughly equivalent. However, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

How do morose and glum relate to one another?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When might saturnine be a better fit than glum?

While the synonyms saturnine and glum are close in meaning, saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When is it sensible to use sulky instead of glum?

The words sulky and glum can be used in similar contexts, but sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When would sullen be a good substitute for glum?

The meanings of sullen and glum largely overlap; however, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

When could surly be used to replace glum?

The synonyms surly and glum are sometimes interchangeable, but surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of glum After failing to win their third straight Super Bowl, things seemed a bit glum, but some decent moves have been made by the team so far. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025 But in a season filled with glum for the Sixers, Guerschon Yabusele has been a bright spot. Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025 Imagine, then, my discontent on learning of a recent U.K. court decision that underscores our glum reality. Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Spencer Platt | Getty Images Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today The U.S. consumer hasn’t felt so glum about the economy since November 2022, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for glum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glum
Adjective
  • At the same time, others who attended this year’s California Democratic Party Convention dismissed any notion that the future of the Democratic Party is bleak.
    Linh Tat, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
  • The early options on the GOP side are bleak: Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife who’s said to be interested in succeeding him, is the moderate Florida so desperately needs now.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • My back hurt from that sad excuse for a chair (seriously, who designs dining chairs to feel like medieval torture devices?).
    Renae Gregoire, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.
    Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Plus, the combination of the stone fireplace and the dark wood cabinets and shelves flanking it contributed to the overall impression of a somber, too-serious space.
    Meghan Holloran, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 May 2025
  • Trump will participate in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony and speak at the cemetery’s amphitheater, in what has been a somber occasion for U.S. presidents.
    Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • That would increase to 40% for productions outside of the Los Angeles area, or in economically depressed areas of Los Angeles.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 May 2025
  • In a depressed environment, where every effort is scrutinised, Moynat’s outing for 520 plays on the simple bond between pets and their owners, landing well.
    Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • The crew is under the supervision of the capable Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) who is prone to panic attacks as the group visits an irritable planet at the behest of The Corporation — a powerful business conglomerate where profit is indeed king.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
  • It’s said to cause people to become irritable, aggravate health problems, and abrade mechanical devices.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Set in a town ruled by absurd karate law, the film watches as a lonely teen forms an unlikely bond with the ghost of his late father’s favorite action hero.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 May 2025
  • If there was no Stitch, Lilo would have remained a lonely girl, and Nani silently suffering from her massive responsibilities.
    Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • Netflix In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success following 'Wednesday' actually left her unhappy.
    Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
  • Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short.
    Thomas Smith, Billboard, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • When this long, difficult, rewarding and validating Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a crashing halt Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a sullen group of players and coaches filed into the locker room to come to grips with it all.
    Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • Read Next: The Best Bass Flies As the bug lay silent on the water, a sullen chug echoed out of the darkness and Larry’s rod, silhouetted against the night sky, sprang into a dancing arc.
    Ted Janes, Outdoor Life, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Glum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glum. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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