saturnine
SAT-er-nahyn, adjective
Gloomy and brooding in temperament.
“The saturnine doorman never once returned a smile.”
Where saturnine comes from
Astrologers said people born under Saturn were gloomy, and the word stuck.
Difficulty: expert. One of 440 entries written and checked by hand.
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Nearby: sardonic savor All 440 words More word origins