saturnine

[ sat-er-nahyn ]

adjective

1. sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.
2. suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.
3. due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.

saturnine

/ ˌsætəˈnɪnɪtɪ; ˈsætəˌnaɪn /

adjective

1. having a gloomy temperament; taciturn
2. archaic.
   1. of or relating to lead
   2. having or symptomatic of lead poisoning

Derived Forms

• saturninity, noun
• ˈsaturˌninely, adverb

Other Words From

• satur·ninely adverb
• satur·nineness sat·ur·nin·i·ty [sat-er-, nin, -i-tee], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of saturnine¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin sāturnīnus ( Saturn, -ine ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of saturnine¹

C15: from French saturnin, from Medieval Latin sāturnīnus (unattested), from Latin Sāturnus Saturn, with reference to the gloomy influence attributed to the planet Saturn

Example Sentences

Justice has long made creative use of vocals and samples, but with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker on “Neverender” and “One Night/All Night,” Miguel’s velveteen leads on “Saturnine” and Thundercat’s exultant falsetto on “The End,” the album feels grounded through all the hard pulls across genre.

From Los Angeles Times

It does contain a few notable omissions from this very specific musical canon, but I personally — forgive me — am not a fan of Katy Perry’s saturnine ballad “By the Grace of God,” and I also felt that an eight-and-a-half-minute Tool song would disrupt the flow of this particular playlist, even if it does feature Maynard James Keenan growling, “Saturn comes back around again to show you everything.”

From New York Times

Cool-kid chefs turning local bounty into Michelin-worthy dishes, an artisan whisky boom and a clutch of stylish hotels have helped Scotland shrug off its saturnine image and rebrand as a misty, moody mecca.

From New York Times

Waters emerged as its new, more saturnine leader.

From New York Times

Darker moods are kept from being too saturnine; his Sarabandes aren’t milked for melancholy.

From New York Times