glum

adjective

ˈgləm How to pronounce glum (audio)
glummer; glummest
Synonyms of glumnext
1
: broodingly morose
became glum when they heard the news
2
: dreary, gloomy
a glum countenance
glumly adverb
glumness noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for glum

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.

sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Examples of glum in a Sentence

There's no need to look so glum—things will get better soon. There was a glum silence in the room.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In 1976, Jill haunts the public parlor like a glum ghost, no longer a sweet little kid but an an antsy, mousy 32-year-old with a secret cigarette habit. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024 And despite Americans' glum outlook about the economy, consumers are still spending. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2024 The numbers follow a glum second quarter when the company missed estimates and the stock tumbled. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2024 This may come as glum news for the next generation of bankers but the story is different for shareholders. —Michael Del Castillo, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for glum 

Word History

Etymology

akin to Middle English gloumen to gloom

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of glum was in 1547

Dictionary Entries Near glum

gluiness

glum

glumaceous

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Glum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glum. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

glum

adjective
ˈgləm How to pronounce glum (audio)
glummer; glummest
1
: sullen sense 1a
2
: seeming gloomy and sad
a glum expression
glumly adverb
glumness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on glum

Nglish: Translation of glum for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of glum for Arabic Speakers

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