gloomy

[ gloo-mee ]
See synonyms for gloomy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,gloom·i·er, gloom·i·est.
  1. dark or dim; deeply shaded: gloomy skies.

  2. causing gloom; dismal or depressing: a gloomy prospect.

  1. filled with or showing gloom; sad, dejected, or melancholy.

  2. hopeless or despairing; pessimistic: a gloomy view of the future.

Origin of gloomy

1
First recorded in 1580–90; gloom + -y1

synonym study For gloomy

1. See dark.

Other words for gloomy

Opposites for gloomy

Other words from gloomy

  • gloom·i·ly, adverb
  • gloom·i·ness, noun
  • o·ver·gloom·i·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·gloom·i·ness, noun
  • o·ver·gloom·y, adjective
  • un·gloom·i·ly, adverb
  • un·gloom·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gloomy in a sentence

  • "You seem very joyous to-night, dear son," said Sebastian, who appeared gloomier than ever.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • So the poor woman lamented and wept, while Placido became gloomier and let stifled sighs escape from his breast.

    The Reign of Greed | Jose Rizal
  • On the right the gloomy sky was blotted out by jagged masses of gloomier hills.

    The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. Gough
  • Their departure from Cashel compelled a feeling of gloomier forebodings and deeper despair than they had yet experienced.

    The Felon's Track | Michael Doheny
  • The only light of the temple came from the entrance, and so two-thirds of it looked still gloomier by contrast.

    From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan | Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky

British Dictionary definitions for gloomy

gloomy

/ (ˈɡluːmɪ) /


adjectivegloomier or gloomiest
  1. dark or dismal

  2. causing depression, dejection, or gloom: gloomy news

  1. despairing; sad

Derived forms of gloomy

  • gloomily, adverb
  • gloominess, noun

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