gloomy

[ gloo-mee ]
See synonyms for: gloomygloomilygloominess 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

  • He perceived Ida after awhile, and acknowledged her presence by touching his hat, with no loss of gloominess.

    Alone | Marion Harland
  • Anne reproached me for my gloominess and went off early, hurt, I know, at my seeming indifference.

    The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
  • The vicissitudes of all seasons occurred in one, and, before my spring had closed, I had felt the winter's gloominess and cold.

  • Gonzalo guessed the purport of Don Rosendo's journey, and his gloominess increased.

    The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 | Armando Palacio Valds
  • She at once thought of kindling a fire as the only means she had of taking away some of the gloominess of the place.

    Peak's Island | Ford Paul

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