Glum

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Glum

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

glum  /ɡlʌm/

Definition

Looking or feeling dejected, dispirited, or sullen; quietly unhappy.

Plain meaning

Glum means quietly unhappy or dejected — not dramatically distressed but subdued, downcast, and not particularly communicative about it.

Register

Neutral and mildly sympathetic. Glum is a good-natured word for a modest unhappiness — it is slightly affectionate in tone, appropriate for describing the glum face of someone who has been disappointed rather than devastated. It sits between mildly unhappy and genuinely miserable on the unhappiness scale.