saturnine

adjective

ˈsa-tər-ˌnīn How to pronounce saturnine (audio)
Definition of saturninenext
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer the men awaiting interrogation by the police shared a saturnine silence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When is crabbed a more appropriate choice than saturnine?

The synonyms crabbed and saturnine are sometimes interchangeable, but crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

In what contexts can gloomy take the place of saturnine?

The words gloomy and saturnine are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

When can glum be used instead of saturnine?

While the synonyms glum and saturnine are close in meaning, glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

How do morose and glum relate to one another, in the sense of saturnine?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When could sulky be used to replace saturnine?

In some situations, the words sulky and saturnine are roughly equivalent. However, sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

When would sullen be a good substitute for saturnine?

Although the words sullen and saturnine have much in common, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

Where would surly be a reasonable alternative to saturnine?

The words surly and saturnine can be used in similar contexts, 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 saturnine The mood is too saturnine, the occasional nods to social criticism too stilted. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saturnine
  1. somber
  2. depressive
  3. bleak
  4. dark
  5. lonely
  6. depressing
  7. desolate
  8. morbid
Adjective
  • The week continues to build excitement with the Celtic Cross Mass and Ceremony (this year on Sunday, March 9) and the beautiful and somber Sgt.
    — Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The mood at the event was anything but somber, though.
    — Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • Mindfulness mediates the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in young adults.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
  • There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
    — Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of depressive
Adjective
  • The coming-of-age story finds a new generation of young women in Gilead, grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.
    — Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • The Page Turner sees the Page family consumed by the literary world — each in their own way — as its dark, foundational secret runs the risk of exposure.
    — Rachel Raposas, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • While the app only went dark for a matter of a day or so in the U.S., it was removed from the Apple and Google app stores for weeks, because federal law could have seen Apple or Google penalized for distributing it.
    — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • This keeps us lonely at a time when the loneliness public health crisis is at an all-time high.
    — Priya Vulchi, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Ro, now a police officer, needs help investigating the death 22 years earlier of their classmate, Ricky, killed in a hit-and-run on a lonely county road.
    — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of lonely
Adjective
  • Some people thought that was too depressing or whatever.
    — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Many learned the depressing answer only when trying to scan badges and getting rejected by security, which treated them more or less like trespassers.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Fourteen years of war have left the country desolate, and its people exhausted; millions have been displaced or were forced to become refugees.
    — Raghed Waked & Justin Salhani, The Dial, 25 Mar. 2025
  • That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score.
    — Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • According to studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health since the 1960s, obesity rates nationwide have tripled, while morbid obesity has increased some 10 times throughout the same period.
    — Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
  • In pulling off the balance between the morbid premise and the humanity of the character afflicted by it, director Rashida Jones relies on Erivo’s ability to get across the panic and dread of the situation with the subtlest of brush strokes.
    — Sezin Koehler, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of morbid

Browse Nearby Words

saturnalias
saturnine
satyr
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Cite this Entry

“Saturnine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saturnine. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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