I learned from my English book these are synonyms. However I am curious to know what the specific usage of each word is. How much interchangeable are they with each other?
Consider the sentence below.
Raghu has been reprimanded by the principal for his low scores in term exams. His face is _.
Which word is suitable to fill the blank, and why? I have difficulty in choosing the right word in this case.
Dictionary meanings:
Glum: looking or feeling dejected; morose;
Morose: sullen and ill-tempered
Sulky: morose, bad-tempered, and resentful; refusing to be cooperative or cheerful
Grumpy: bad-tempered and sulky.
Glower: have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl
For me, all the words seem suitable to fill the blank.
Best Answer
Going beyond the dictionary definitions:
is a verb meaning to look at someone threateningly. It is not at all like the others. Someone who is sulking might glower, but if they are glum or morose (kind of depressed) probably not.
means that someone is -reacting- in a negative way not aggressively, not happily. Think of a sour, tired old man who is not getting what he wants, or snaps at you for very minimal reasons. Grumpy is a passive anger.
To sulk is to act dejected and annoyed, like a teenager who has to attend a much younger sibling's birthday party. It may be confused with grumpy but is not a kind of anger. The adjective 'sulky' is not as common as the verb 'to sulk' and its derivatives.
That leaves
These are synonyms for looking depressed. Morose is more of a personality trait, whereas glum sounds more like a temporary thing.
You didn't mention the word 'mope'. It is similar to 'sulk' but is closer to glum/morose with the connotation of 'feeling sorry for oneself'.