Nuance Dictionary / Complex Emotions
씁쓸하다 sseup-sseul-ha-da
Bittersweet, leaving a slightly cynical or unpleasant emotional aftertaste
What does 씁쓸하다 mean?
씁쓸하다 (sseup-sseul-ha-da) means: Bittersweet, leaving a slightly cynical or unpleasant emotional aftertaste.
Like drinking black coffee. You feel this when you realize a harsh truth about the world, or when someone you used to hate fails completely and you thought you'd be happy, but instead you just feel '씁쓸하다'—a complex, cynical sadness.
How it's actually used
- 현실을 마주할 때마다 씁쓸한 기분이 드는 건 어쩔 수 없다.
hyeonsireul majuhal ttaemada sseupseulhan gibuni deuneun geon eojjeol su eopda.
I can't help feeling a bit cynical and bittersweet whenever I face reality.
💡 Used when realizing a harsh, disappointing truth about life. - 그가 잘 안된 걸 알면서도 묘하게 씁쓸한 기분이 들었다.
geuga jal andoen geol amyeonseodo myohage sseupseulhan gibuni deureotda.
Even knowing things didn't work out well for him, I felt a strangely bitter aftertaste.
💡 Captures mixed feelings about a rival's failure or a cynical outcome. - 오랜만에 만난 친구가 경쟁자로 변해 있는 걸 보니 마음이 참 씁쓸했다.
Orenman-e mannan chingu-ga gyeongjaengja-ro byeonhae inneun geol boni ma-eum-i cham sseupseulhaetda.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth to see that a friend I hadn't seen in a while had turned into a rival.
💡 Describes a complex feeling of sadness and disillusionment.
Related words in Complex Emotions
시원섭섭하다 si-won-seop-seop-ha-da애매하다 ae-mae-ha-da만감이 교차하다 man-gam-i gyo-cha-ha-da착잡하다 chak-jap-ha-da얼떨떨하다 eol-tteol-tteol-ha-da