Synonyms:
| acrimonious, | dogged, | ill-natured, | splenetic, |
| churlish, | gloomy, | severe, | sulky, |
| crabbed, | gruff, | snappish, | sullen, |
| crusty, | ill-humored, | sour, | surly. |
The sullen and sulky are discontented and resentful in regard to that against which they are too proud to protest, or consider all protest vain; sullen denotes more of pride, sulky more of resentful obstinacy. The morose are bitterly dissatisfied with the world in general, and disposed to vent their ill nature upon others. The sullen and sulky are for the most part silent; the morose growl out bitter speeches. A surly person is in a state of latent anger, resenting approach as intrusion, and ready to take offense at anything; thus we speak of a surly dog. Sullen and sulky moods may be transitory; one who is morose or surly is commonly so by disposition or habit.
Antonyms:
| amiable, | complaisant, | gentle, | kind, | pleasant, |
| benignant, | friendly, | good-natured, | loving, | sympathetic, |
| bland, | genial, | indulgent, | mild, | tender. |
MOTION.
Synonyms:
| act, | change, | movement, | process, | transition. |
| action, | move, | passage, | transit, |
Motion is change of place or position in space; transition is a passing from one point or position in space to another. Motion may be either abstract or concrete, more frequently the former; movement is always concrete, that is, considered in connection with the thing that moves or is moved; thus, we speak of the movements of the planets, but of the laws of planetary motion; of military movements, but of perpetual motion. Move is used chiefly of contests or competition, as in chess or politics; as, it is your move; a shrewd move of the opposition. Action is a more comprehensive word than motion. We now rarely speak of mental[246] or spiritual motions, but rather of mental or spiritual acts or processes, or of the laws of mental action, but a formal proposal of action in a deliberative assembly is termed a motion. Compare [ACT].