downhearted

American  

[doun-hahr-tid] / ˈdaʊnˈhɑr tɪd /

adjective

1. dejected; depressed; discouraged.

   Synonyms:

   sorrowful, sad, dispirited, despondent, downcast

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downhearted British  

/ ˌdaʊnˈhɑːtɪd /

adjective

1. discouraged; dejected

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Other Word Forms

• downheartedly
  adverb
• downheartedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of downhearted

First recorded in 1645–55; down ¹ + hearted

Explanation

Are you feeling sad and discouraged? Then you're downhearted. You need a hug from a good friend. Bad news, a tough day, your favorite team losing the championship — all of these can leave you feeling a bit downhearted. You can also use words like crestfallen, dejected, or blue to describe this sad emotion. The adjective downhearted includes the word ending -hearted, meaning "at heart," or "in one's deepest feelings."

Example Sentences

Downhearted, they inspected charts; figured that, to wreck the record, they had a little less than half way to go in about one third the required time.

From Time Magazine Archive

Out of her search for congenial musical partners came such songs as Downhearted Blues and I've Got a Mind to Ramble.

From Time Magazine Archive

Downhearted as she was, Judith could not refrain from giggling a little as her quick imagination visualized in stately, white-haired Mrs. Weatherbee the approved stage villain.

From Jane Allen: Right Guard by Bancroft, Edith

"Down'arted, like, an' 'opeless an'—an' lonely——" Downhearted, and hopeless, and lonely!

From The Dop Doctor by Dehan, Richard

They were cracking jokes and singing many familiar songs, the favorite of which seemed to be a blending of 'Tipperary' with 'Are We Downhearted?'

From The Story of the Great War, Volume IV (of 8) Champagne, Artois, Grodno; Fall of Nish; Caucasus; Mesopotamia; Development of Air Strategy; United States and the War by Miller, Francis Trevelyan