Sulk
verb/noun Base: sulk | Past: sulked | Past Participle: sulked | -ing: sulking | 3rd person: sulks
Definition
1. To be silent, moody, and refuse to communicate or be pleasant because you are angry or upset about something, often in a childish or immature way.
2. Also a period or mood of behaving like this.
2. Also a period or mood of behaving like this.
Context Alive
A teenager asked his parents for a new phone, and when they said no, he went straight to his room and started sulking for the rest of the evening. He refused to come down for dinner and wouldn’t speak to anyone. His parents rolled their eyes — they’d seen this performance many times before.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Be Silent and Moody Because You're Upset (Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about going quiet, refusing to talk, and showing through your mood and body language that you’re angry or disappointed — usually in a way that others consider childish or immature. Imagine a grown man who doesn’t get his way at a restaurant and spends the entire meal sulking in silence with his arms crossed while everyone else tries to enjoy their food. This is sulking — punishing others with your silence and bad mood instead of talking about what’s bothering you. You might say “she’s been sulking all morning because I forgot to call her back” or “stop sulking and just tell me what the problem is.” Or picture a footballer who gets substituted during a match and sulks on the bench for the rest of the game, refusing to cheer for his teammates. The word carries a strong sense of immaturity — it suggests the person is behaving like a child rather than dealing with their feelings like an adult. ✏️ Sulking is always seen negatively — it implies the person is being unreasonable or childish. Unlike being genuinely upset or sad, sulking is a deliberate performance designed to make others feel guilty. That’s why people say “stop sulking” — it’s a choice, not just an emotion.
Vivid ExampleWhen his girlfriend chose the film instead of letting him decide, he spent the entire evening sulking in the corner of the sofa without saying a single word. She tried asking what was wrong three times, but he just shrugged and stared at his phone. By the end of the night, she was more annoyed by his sulking than he ever was about the film.
2 A Period or Mood of Sulking (Noun) Common ▼
This meaning is about the state or period of being in a bad, silent mood — almost always used in the phrases “be in a sulk” or “have a sulk.” Imagine a child who has been told she can’t have sweets before dinner and goes into a massive sulk that lasts the entire afternoon, sitting on the stairs with a face like thunder. This is a sulk as a noun — a describable mood or episode of silent, childish unhappiness. You might say “he’s been in a sulk since this morning because nobody agreed with his idea” or “she went off to have a sulk in her bedroom after the argument.” Or picture a colleague who goes into a sulk every time she doesn’t get picked for the best projects — everyone notices, and nobody takes it seriously. The word suggests a recognisable pattern — a mood that everyone around the person can see and name. ✏️ “Be in a sulk” and “have a sulk” are the most natural noun patterns. “Go into a sulk” describes the moment someone starts sulking. The noun form emphasises that sulking is a visible, identifiable state — everyone can see it happening.
Vivid ExampleThe manager went into a proper sulk when the board rejected his proposal, refusing to contribute to the rest of the meeting and answering every question with one-word replies. His colleagues exchanged awkward glances across the table. For a man in his fifties, the whole performance was remarkably similar to a toddler who’d been told no.
Examples from the Street
“He’s been sulking in his room for two hours because I told him he couldn’t go out on a school night.”
He’s sitting in his room in a silent, moody state because he didn’t get what he wanted
“Don’t mind her — she’s just having a sulk because she wasn’t invited to the party last weekend.”
She’s in a bad mood and being deliberately quiet because she feels left out
“Oh, stop sulking and come and join us — nobody’s even angry with you anymore.”
Stop sitting there being moody and silent, and come and be social — the problem is over
Common Patterns
stop sulking → a direct demand to stop behaving in a moody, childish way
sulk about/over something → to be moody because of a specific thing
sit/stand there sulking → to be visibly moody and unresponsive in a place
sulk in your room/corner → to go somewhere alone to be moody in private
sulk for hours/days → to maintain a bad mood for a long period
be in a sulk → to currently be in a moody, silent state
have a sulk → to go through a period of sulking
go into a sulk → to start sulking, to enter a moody state
a big/massive sulk → a particularly dramatic or prolonged episode of sulking
sulky → adjective describing someone who sulks or is prone to sulking
Collocations
3 collocationssulk in the corner
sit alone showing you're upset
have a sulk
be in a bad mood and show it
stop sulking
stop being moody about something
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
He sulked for three days straight after his team lost the final — he wouldn’t eat, talk, or leave the house
Takımı finali kaybettikten sonra üç gün boyunca somurttu — ne yedi, ne konuştu, ne de evden çıktı.
2
Stop sulking and come help me with dinner — being grumpy isn’t going to change anything
Somurtmayı bırak da gel yemekte bana yardım et — huysuzluk yapman hiçbir şeyi değiştirmeyecek.
3
She went into a massive sulk when her sister borrowed her jacket without asking
Kız kardeşi sormadan ceketini alınca iyice suratını astı.
4
The child sat in the corner sulking because the teacher had taken his toy away during class
Öğretmen derste oyuncağını aldığı için çocuk köşede somurtarak oturdu.
5
My husband sulks every time I suggest we visit my parents instead of watching football at the weekend
Kocam, hafta sonu futbol izlemek yerine ailemi ziyaret etmeyi her önerdiğimde suratını asar.
6
Don’t be so sulky — I said we could go tomorrow, not that we couldn’t go at all
Bu kadar somurtma — yarın gidebiliriz dedim, hiç gidemeyiz demedim.
7
He’s been in a sulk since this morning because nobody laughed at his joke during the meeting
Toplantıda kimse esprisine gülmediği için sabahtan beri suratı asık geziyor.
8
Teenagers are famous for sulking when they don’t get their own way — it’s almost a rite of passage
Ergenler istediklerini elde edemediklerinde somurtmalarıyla ünlüdür — neredeyse bir geçiş ritüeli gibi.
9
She sulked through the entire family dinner, barely touching her food and giving one-word answers to everyone
Tüm aile yemeği boyunca suratı asık oturdu, yemeğine zar zor dokundu ve herkese tek kelimelik cevaplar verdi.
10
Rather than sulking about not getting the promotion, he decided to work harder and try again next year
Terfi alamadığı için küsmek yerine daha çok çalışmaya ve gelecek yıl tekrar denemeye karar verdi.
Learner Examples
★
Some students sulk when they get a low mark on a test instead of asking the teacher how they can improve next time
Bazı öğrenciler sınavdan düşük not aldıklarında, öğretmene nasıl gelişebileceklerini sormak yerine somurturlar.
★
If you sulk every time the teacher corrects your pronunciation, you’ll never get better at speaking English naturally
Öğretmen telaffuzunu her düzelttiğinde küsersen, doğal İngilizce konuşmada asla gelişemezsin.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
0 items
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymspout
show displeasure
brood
think angrily
mope
be gloomy
be moody
show bad temper
Antonymscheer up
become happy
brighten up
become positive