1
: having a sullen and gloomy disposition
2
: marked by or expressive of gloom
Examples of morose in a Sentence
She thought of the bootlegger at home—a raddled, skinny old man, morose and suspicious. He sat on his front step with a shotgun on Halloween night.
—
Alice Munro, Runaway, 2004
We have little finished footage to go by, but enough to give us pause: an exquisite clip of Rochefort, sitting with a book in the half-darkness, his eyes wet, gleaming, and morose.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2003
I have never known if Momma sent for us, or if the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence. There is nothing more appalling than a constantly morose child.
—Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.
those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection
Alice Munro, Runaway, 2004
We have little finished footage to go by, but enough to give us pause: an exquisite clip of Rochefort, sitting with a book in the half-darkness, his eyes wet, gleaming, and morose.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2003
I have never known if Momma sent for us, or if the St. Louis family just got fed up with my grim presence. There is nothing more appalling than a constantly morose child.
—Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.
those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection
Recent Examples on the Web
The management changes come less than six weeks after Bellettini, one of Kering’s most visible and accomplished executives, was tasked with turning around Gucci amid a morose climate for luxury players.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Neither bubbly like Annie nor morose like Interiors’ Renata, Mary was a funny, sad, ambitious New Yorker whose intellect and beauty had gotten her exactly nowhere.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Appropriate to the popular conception of the morose genius, Poe’s initial 1849 funeral, held amidst the October gloom, was sparsely attended.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
Schnabel has already introduced his most florid gambit: flashbacks to Dante Alighieri, who is played by Isaac with a morose Shakespearean flourish.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for morose
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.
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Neither bubbly like Annie nor morose like Interiors’ Renata, Mary was a funny, sad, ambitious New Yorker whose intellect and beauty had gotten her exactly nowhere.
—Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Appropriate to the popular conception of the morose genius, Poe’s initial 1849 funeral, held amidst the October gloom, was sparsely attended.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
Schnabel has already introduced his most florid gambit: flashbacks to Dante Alighieri, who is played by Isaac with a morose Shakespearean flourish.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for morose
Cite this Entry
“Morose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morose. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share