EN

Synonyms for saturnine

  • adjective

Most common

serious grave glum morose grey UK bleak leaden plumbic

Synonyms by meaning

Adjective

1. Serious — of a person, having a tendency to be cold and gloomy

serious, grave, moody, sullen, glum, morose, sad, dull, stern, sour, somber US, sombre UK, sedate, melancholic, staid, dour, lugubrious, lachrymose, atrabilious, sober, down-hearted, earnest, low-spirited

2. Dark — of a setting, depressing, dull, gloomy

dark, gloomy, grey UK, gray US, grim, bleak, dismal, dreary, drear, drearisome, depressing, dire, desolate, woeful, joyless, sunless, cheerless

Other

leaden, plumbic, plumbous

Antonyms

gay, bright, happy

All antonyms of saturnine →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Of a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy.

  2. adj. 2

    Of a setting: depressing, dull, gloomy.

Related words

Word family
saturnism

Example sentences

  • serious Loss of health is more serious than loss of money.
  • grave "This grave is your new home." "What do you mean?"
  • glum Don't be so glum about it. Life has its ups and downs.
  • grey My friend disappeared like a grey mule in the fog.
  • bleak To some people, Algeria's future is looking bleak.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
saturninerising
serioussteady
gravesteady
glumrising
moroserising
greysteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
sad1
4 letters
dark1, grey1, gray1, dull1, sour2, grim1, dire1, glum1, dour2
5 letters
grave1, stern1, sober2, moody2, bleak1, staid1, drear
6 letters
gloomy2, dismal2, dreary2, somber2, sombre, sedate2, sullen2, woeful2, morose2, leaden2
7 letters
serious3, earnest2, joyless, sunless, plumbic
8 letters
desolate3, plumbous
9 letters
cheerless
10 letters
depressing3, lugubrious4, lachrymose3, drearisome
11 letters
melancholic4, atrabilious

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sour2 = 2 syllables).