sullenly

[ suhl-uhn-lee ]

adverb

1. in a way that shows irritation, ill humor, or gloom; morosely:

   In the next room, an embittered, lonely man sits sullenly.

2. with a gloomy or dismal sound:

   The door thudded sullenly behind her.

   The waves roared sullenly against the base of the cliff.

Other Words From

• un·sul·len·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sullenly¹

sullen ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

In the usual braying-and-pouting choreography of the State of the Union evening, members of the president’s party leap ecstatically when he praises himself, and members of the other party respond sullenly, by not responding.

From Washington Post

I've been hurt by starters that would never become sufficiently foamy, by doughs that sullenly refused to rise, by boules that baked into oversized hockey pucks.

From Salon

He lost that opportunity because he could not create the necessary heroic drama — the one in which he was not sullenly subverting the presidential election but selflessly upholding its real results.

From Salon

"You are a class act," she sullenly admits to one such saint in an upcoming episode, "and that is not beneficial to me."

From Salon

You are likely not the sort of person who enjoys storming off from the dinner table, or crying in your childhood bedroom, or sullenly texting a friend while you furtively drink in the bathroom.

From Salon