depression
the act of depressing.
the state of being depressed.
a depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface.
Psychiatry. a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason.: Compare clinical depression.
dullness or inactivity, as of trade.
Economics. a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.
the Depression. Great Depression.
Pathology. a low state of vital powers or functional activity.
Astronomy. the angular distance of a celestial body below the horizon; negative altitude.
Surveying. angle of depression.
Physical Geography. an area completely or mostly surrounded by higher land, ordinarily having interior drainage and not conforming to the valley of a single stream.
Meteorology. an area of low atmospheric pressure.
Origin of depression
1Other words for depression
Other words from depression
- an·ti·de·pres·sion, adjective, noun
- min·i·de·pres·sion, noun
- non·de·pres·sion, noun
- post·de·pres·sion, adjective
- pre·de·pres·sion, noun, adjective
Words Nearby depression
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use depression in a sentence
Disordered eating is also linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, both in the present and in the future.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models | Carrie Arnold | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWomen are more likely to recover sooner from birth and less likely to experience post-partum depression.
How Good Dads Can Change the World | Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAdrift in senility and depression, Hitchcock is dismantling his life, putting it away.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe did suffer from ‘Black Dog’ [depression] as he called it and having something to concentrate on was therapeutic for him.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction Block | Tom Teodorczuk | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYet, in pursuit of that ‘great revival of art,’ his anxiety, depression, and overall health began to deteriorate.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind | Nick Mafi | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The inner ends of the burrows were enlarged with a depression in the floor, where the eggs were laid.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula | Erwin E. KlaasFinancial depression had succeeded a time of wild excitement, and the Midland dividend had fallen from seven to two per cent.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlowdepression of these key-touches brought different combinations of stops into use on the keyboard above which they were placed.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerThe true causes of the depression were not within the control of the Insular Government or of any ruling factor.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanEven if your first passion for her does cool somewhat, will nothing remain but disenchantment and depression?
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
British Dictionary definitions for depression (1 of 2)
/ (dɪˈprɛʃən) /
the act of depressing or state of being depressed
a depressed or sunken place or area
a mental disorder characterized by extreme gloom, feelings of inadequacy, and inability to concentrate
pathol an abnormal lowering of the rate of any physiological activity or function, such as respiration
an economic condition characterized by substantial and protracted unemployment, low output and investment, etc; slump
Also called: cyclone, low meteorol a large body of rotating and rising air below normal atmospheric pressure, which often brings rain
(esp in surveying and astronomy) the angular distance of an object, celestial body, etc, below the horizontal plane through the point of observation: Compare elevation (def. 11)
British Dictionary definitions for Depression (2 of 2)
/ (dɪˈprɛʃən) /
the Depression the worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s, when there was mass unemployment: Also known as: the Great Depression, the Slump
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for depression
[ dĭ-prĕsh′ən ]
A geographic area, such as a sinkhole or basin, that is lower than its surroundings.
A mood disorder characterized by an inability to experience pleasure, difficulty in concentrating, disturbance of sleep and appetite, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness.
A reduction in the activity of a physiological process, such as respiration.
A region of low atmospheric pressure. Low pressure systems result in precipitation, ranging from mild to severe in intensity. See also cyclone.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for depression
A period of drastic decline in the national economy, characterized by decreasing business activity, falling prices, and unemployment. The best known of such periods is the Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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