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depressive

American  
[dih-pres-iv] / dɪˈprɛs ɪv /

adjective

  1. tending to cause depression.

    depressive environmental factors.

  2. characterized by depression, especially mental depression.


noun

  1. a person having or affected with a depressive illness.

depressive British  
/ dɪˈprɛsɪv /

adjective

  1. tending to depress; causing depression

  2. psychol tending to be subject to periods of depression See also manic-depressive

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of depressive

First recorded in 1610–20; depress + -ive


Vocabulary lists containing depressive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Binghamton study was designed to investigate that question by tracking both depressive symptoms and attention patterns over time.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

AI use among more than 2,300 middle-school students is increasing rapidly—and any AI use is associated with higher social anxiety and depressive symptoms, according to researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Navy Blue emerged from a depressive bout circa 2015, his freshman year of college.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

He voiced depressive donkey Eeyore in TV animation The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from the late 1980s as well as numerous related shows, films and games.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

It even attracted the young, depressive Franz Kafka, soon to be a great writer, now aimlessly wandering around Europe.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

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