sulky
pronunciation
How to pronounce sulky in British English:
UK [ˈsʌlki]
How to pronounce sulky in American English:
US [ˈsʌlki]
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- Noun:
- a light two-wheeled vehicle for one person; drawn by one horse
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- Adjective:
- sullen or moody
Word Origin
- sulky (adj.)
- "quietly sullen," 1744, of uncertain origin. Connection has been suggested to obsolete, rare sulke "hard to sell" (1630s) and to Old English asolcen "idle, lazy, slow," past participle adjective from aseolcan "become sluggish, be weak or idle" (related to besylcan "be languid"), from Proto-Germanic *seklan (cognates: Middle High German selken "to drop, fall"). But words of similar meaning often are held to be imitative (compare miff, mope, boudoir). Related: Sulkily; sulkiness.
- sulky (n.)
- "light carriage with two wheels," 1756, apparently a noun use of sulky (adj.), on notion of "standoffishness," because the carriage has room for only one person and obliges the rider to be alone.
Example
- 1. Mira just giggled at his sulky attitude .
- 2. What you don 't want to have is a sulky adolescent moping in the back seat , doing his best to sabotage the vacation you and your husband have worked so hard for .
- 3. A sulky young girl placed a pot of tea and two cups heavily on the table .
- 4. He looked a shade sulky .
- 5. In a state of sulky dissatisfaction .