10 Words for Being Angry and Sad at the Same Time

If you’re looking for a word for angry and sad emotions, you’ve come to the right place. This article will explore how mixed emotions can appear in a situation and what words you can use to write about them.

The best words for being angry and sad at the same time are “sullen,” “morose,” and “dour.” These are great negative synonyms showing that you have no happiness in your attitude. All you feel is sadness, sorrow, and anger, and it can make you unpleasant to be around.

1. Sullen

“Sullen” is a great way to show that you are angry or sad about a situation. It usually refers to your attitude toward other people. Sullen people will often struggle to make friends or talk to others in a polite and friendly way.

Sullen attitudes often stick around. They are caused by past events rather than recent events, and it’s likely that once someone is sullen, they will always be sullen.

The definition of “sullen,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “angry and unwilling to smile or be pleasant to people.”

• Do you have to be so sullen all of the time? Don’t you realize that things are starting to look up lately? You can calm down.
• I’m too sullen to listen to anything you have to say. I know you don’t want to hear that, but I don’t care about you.
• She’s a bit sullen at the minute. I think you’ll have a hard time trying to calm her down. You should leave her to it.

2. Morose

“Morose” means that someone is sad or annoyed and usually does not wish to express happiness in any form. It’s a great way to show that someone is unwilling to accept negative situations.

You will find that “morose” is a great synonym to use here. It shows that someone only experiences negativity at the moment, and there is no way to put a positive spin on things.

The definition of “morose,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “unhappy, annoyed, and unwilling to speak or smile.”

• Why do you have to be so morose? Can’t you see that we’re all struggling with this news? You’re not the only one losing out.
• I’m not morose by choice. I can’t seem to shake the painful feelings right now. I wish there was something I could do.
• He’s a bit morose, so you’ll have difficulty getting through to him. I’m hoping that things will start getting better soon.

3. Dour

“Dour” shows that someone is struggling with their emotions. It relates to someone’s characteristics or attitude and shows that they’re unfriendly and unhappy whenever you want to speak with them.

It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a way to describe someone’s traits, especially if those traits always make them challenging to talk to.

The definition of “dour,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “unfriendly, unhappy, and very serious.”

• He’s quite dour, making it difficult to talk to him about anything. I’ve tried my best, but it doesn’t seem to help.
• Stop being so dour and start listening to what we have to say. Things are going to get much better if you let them.
• I wasn’t this dour before. I think something has overcome me, and I don’t know what to do.

4. Glum

“Glum” is a great word you can use here. It means that someone is upset and angry about something, often causing them to be more quiet than usual. It can be tricky to talk to someone who is glum.

The definition of “glum,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “disappointed or unhappy, and quiet.”

• Terry is too glum for his own good. If he doesn’t perk up soon, I think he will lose friends.
• Stop being glum and start enjoying yourself again. You’re too young to act like this around us.
• I’m not glum. I’m just trying to figure out why I’m unhappy. Don’t you realize that things are complicated?

5. Saturnine

“Saturnine” is a very uncommon word, but it’s great here. It means that someone is an unfriendly and unhappy character. They don’t often like to be around other people because they prefer their own company.

The definition of “saturnine,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “serious and unfriendly.”

• Your saturnine attitude is getting too much for us. You need to chill out and move on.
• Stop being saturnine because it’s not a good look. Of all the emotions you have, this is my least favorite.
• I don’t know why you all think I’m saturnine. I’m trying my best to stay positive in adversity.

6. Resentful

“Resentful” is a simple way to show that someone doesn’t like other people or situations. If you are resentful of a situation, it means you feel anger or sadness toward the situation and would rather not do it.

This resentment will often grow. It gets worse when you are forced to do something you dislike or accept someone you don’t get along with. The harder you find the situation, the more your resentment will build (resulting in more anger and sadness).

The definition of “resentful,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “feeling angry because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like.”

• I’m a bit resentful of the situation, but that’s only because I never wanted it to come to this. Surely, you understand that.
• I’m not trying to be resentful. Unfortunately, I don’t see any other way for me to be. I can’t stand her.
• You’re too resentful about being a part of this team. You can’t let others take charge in your place.

7. Bitter

“Bitter” is a great way to show that someone is struggling with negative emotions. It implies that someone is angry and sad about something because they can’t forget negativity from their past.

Most people who feel “bitter” are sad about something that happened long ago. It might make their personality much more bitter whenever they reflect on their negative trauma.

The definition of “bitter,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “angry and unhappy because they cannot forget bad things that happened in the past.”

• She’s very bitter about what happened. I haven’t seen her smile for a long time. Good luck.
• I’m not bitter. I’m just sad that things didn’t work out the way we intended. I wish they could have gone better.
• He’s trying to come across as bitter, but it doesn’t suit his personality. Give him some time, and he’ll calm down.

8. Sour

“Sour” is another great alternative. It shows that someone is unpleasant and sad. You can use this when someone has an attitude that brings down the positivity in a room. They might “sour” the room.

The definition of “sour,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “to (cause to) become unpleasant or unfriendly.”

• You’re souring the situation with your attitude. You don’t have to be angry and sad. It’s too much for us.
• I’m not sour because I was cheated on. I’m sour because it happened in my own house.
• She’s very sour about all of this. I don’t think there will come a time when she starts enjoying herself again.

9. Surly

“Surly” is an uncommon choice, but it works well. It shows that someone is bad-tempered or in a bad mood, which often relates to sadness and anger at the same time. You can use this when referring to someone who you struggle to get along with.

The definition of “surly,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “often in a bad mood, unfriendly, and not polite.”

• Why are you so surly? Haven’t things already started to get better? You must look on the bright side.
• I’m too surly to take you seriously. I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say to me right now.
• She’s very surly. I don’t think you’ll get through to her. She needs some time to recover from the events.

10. Reluctant

“Reluctant” means someone is unwilling to do something because of negative emotions and feelings. It often relates to sadness or anger toward a person or situation that prevents them from being able to take part in it

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The definition of “reluctant,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not willing to do something and therefore slow to do it.”

• I’m reluctant to trust any of you because of what you did before. I am angry and sad because I can’t stand you.
• Why are you so reluctant? You don’t have to act like that around us. You know we’re your friends, right?
• She’s very reluctant because she’s been burned before. You should be careful approaching her about this.

Can You Be Sad and Angry at the Same Time?

Since sadness and anger are both negative emotions, it’s quite common to feel them at the same time.

You will often find that someone handles sadness by being angry. You could also flip that to find someone who gets sad because of how angry they are. The two emotions aren’t always together, but there’s no reason why you can’t feel them at the same time.