saturnine
saturnine — adjective
- saturninepositive
- more saturninecomparative
- most saturninesuperlative
1. having a gloomy, heavy seriousness that makes someone seem cold, distant, and un
having a gloomy, heavy seriousness that makes someone seem cold, distant, and unfriendly
The saturnine librarian glanced over her glasses, and the noisy students fell silent.
attributive use: saturnine + noun (person)
Dr. Okafor's saturnine expression and slow speech made everyone in the room nervous.
The novel features a saturnine detective who rarely smiles and speaks in short sentences.
Amihan's saturnine mood made family gatherings tense — no one dared tell a joke.
Even bright sunlight could not warm the saturnine atmosphere of the old mansion.
用法筆記
Typically describes a person's face, expression, mood, or personality. The word has a literary or formal register and is uncommon in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
❖ 'She felt saturnine all week because of the rainy weather.' ✅ 'Her saturnine expression made coworkers avoid asking questions.' — saturnine describes a cold, unfriendly manner shown to others, not a personal feeling of sadness.