sullen
Silent and bad-tempered, refusing to be cheerful.
sullen in a sentence
- Jake stayed sullen all afternoon after losing the match, answering only in grunts.
- The sullen waiter slammed our plates down without a word or a smile all evening.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to sullen?
- Acheerful
- Bgrumpy
- Cfriendly
- Dhappy
Show the answer
B: grumpy. The other three mean the opposite of sullen.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to sullen?
- Agrumpy
- Bsulky
- Ccheerful
- Dmoody
Show the answer
C: cheerful. The other three mean nearly the same as sullen.
Words that mean something similar
grumpy, moody, sulky
Words that mean the opposite
cheerful, happy, friendly
More words about emotions & feelings
- tantalise: To tease someone by showing them something they want but cannot have.
- temptation: A strong wish to do something, especially something you know you shouldn't.
- tender: Gentle, loving and soft.
- torment: To cause a person or animal great suffering or annoyance, often again and again.
- trepidation: A nervous, fearful feeling about something that is going to happen.
- triumph: A great victory or success.
- turmoil: A state of great confusion and upset.
- twinge: A sudden short pain or unpleasant feeling.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test