different between malcontent vs sullen

English

Etymology

From Middle French malcontent, from mal- +? content; compare Late Latin malecontentus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?mal.k?n.t?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?mæl.k?n?t?nt/, /?mæl.k?n?t?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt
• Hyphenation: mal?con?tent

Adjective

malcontent (comparative more malcontent, superlative most malcontent)

1. Dissatisfied with current conditions; disaffected, discontented, rebellious.
   • 1999, Jodi J. Olshevski; Anne D. Katz; Bob G. Knight; T. J. McCallum, “Stress-Neutral Thoughts”, in Stress Reduction for Caregivers, Philadelphia, Pa.; London: Brunner/Mazel, ISBN 978-0-87630-940-7; republished New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2012, page 94:

     The stress created by all of the changes seemed to be more than she could handle. Initially, she thought her husband was malcontent on purpose and felt he was aware of the arguments he seemed to be starting.

Derived terms

• malcontentment

Noun

malcontent (plural malcontents)

2. A person who is not satisfied with current conditions; a discontented person, a rebel.
   • c. 1603, John Marston; John Webster, The Malcontent. Augmented by Marston. With the Additions Played by the Kings Maiesties Servants. Written by Ihon Webster, London, Printed by V[alentine] S[immes] for William Aspley, and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard, published 1604, OCLC 27892682; republished in [Isaac Reed, editor], A Select Collection of Old Plays. In Twelve Volumes. The Second Edition, Corrected and Collated with the Old Copies. With Notes Critical and Explanatory, volume IV, 2nd corr. edition, London: Printed by J[ohn] Nichols; for J[ames] Dodsley, Pall Mall, 1780, OCLC 645791152, page 17:

     The di?cord rather than the mu?ick is heard from the malcontent Malevole's chamber.
3. (obsolete) A state of discontentment or dissatisfaction; something that causes discontent.

Related terms

Verb

malcontent (third-person singular simple present malcontents, present participle malcontenting, simple past and past participle malcontented)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cause discontent or dissatisfaction.

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

malcontent (comparative malcontenter, superlative malcontentst)

1. dissatisfied

Noun

malcontent m (plural malcontenten, diminutive malcontentje n)

1. a discontent person.
   1. (historical, Roman Catholicism) a Dutch Roman Catholic noble who served the Spanish cause early in the Dutch revolt

      Synonym: paternosterknecht

   2. (historical, Protestantism) a liberal Protestant in the early 20th century who rejected conventional liberalism and almost deistic theology and advocated social gospel theology and politics

      Synonym: rechts-vrijzinnige

French

Etymology

From Middle French malcontent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mal.k??.t??/
• Homophone: malcontents

Adjective

malcontent (feminine singular malcontente, masculine plural malcontents, feminine plural malcontentes)

1. (dated) unhappy

Middle French

Etymology

From mal- +? content.

Adjective

malcontent m (feminine singular malcontente, masculine plural malcontents, feminine plural malcontentes)

1. unhappy

Descendants

• ? English: malcontent
• French: malcontent

Norman

Etymology

From mal- +? content.

Noun

malcontent m (plural malcontents)

1. (Jersey) malcontent

English

Etymology

From Middle English solein, from Anglo-Norman soleyn (“alone”), from Old French sole (“single, sole, alone”), from Latin s?lus (“by oneself alone”). The change in meaning from "single" to morose occurred in Middle English.

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?l??n, IPA^(key): /?s?l?n/
• Rhymes: -?l?n
• Hyphenation: sul?len

Adjective

sullen (comparative sullener, superlative sullenest)

1. Having a brooding ill temper; sulky.
   • 1709, Matthew Prior, Pleasure

     And sullen I forsook the imperfect feast.

   • 2007, Steven Wilson, "Normal", Porcupine Tree, Nil Recurring.

2. Gloomy; dismal; foreboding.

   a sullen atmosphere

   • 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, IV. v. 88:

     Our solemn hymns to sullen dirges change;
3. Sluggish; slow.
4. (obsolete) Lonely; solitary; desolate.
5. (obsolete) Mischievous; malignant; unpropitious.
6. (obsolete) Obstinate; intractable.
   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, Imprudence of Atheism

     Things are as sullen as we are.

Synonyms

(in a bad mood):

• sulky, morose

Antonyms

• cheerful
• content
• lighthearted
• pleased

Translations

Noun

sullen (plural sullens)

1. (obsolete) One who is solitary, or lives alone; a hermit.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Piers Plowman to this entry?)

2. (chiefly in the plural) Sullen feelings or manners; sulks; moroseness.
   • 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, II. i. 139:

     And let them die that age and sullens have;

   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, I.7:

     [M]y brother […] charged my desire of being excused coming down to sullens, because a certain person had been spoken against, upon whom, as he supposed, my fancy ran.

Anagrams

• unsell

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch sulan

Verb

sullen

1. (auxiliary) must, to have to
2. (auxiliary, negated) may, be allowed to
3. (auxiliary) will, shall, be going to (future tense)
4. (auxiliary, in the past tense) to be about to (inchoative)
5. (modal auxiliary) indicates a possible or hypothetical situation
6. (modal auxiliary) indicates information garnered from a third party that may or may not be reliable

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms

• suelen
• s?len
• sellen
• s?len
• sollen

Descendants

• Dutch: zullen
  • Afrikaans: sal
• Limburgish: zölle, zólle

Further reading

• “sullen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “sullen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

Verb

s?llen

1. first-person singular past indicative of suollit