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• moody
  moody

  adjective

  given to gloomy, depressed, or sullen moods; ill-humored.
• Moody
  Moody

  noun

  Dwight Lyman 1837–99, U.S. evangelist.

moody

¹ American  

[moo-dee] / ˈmu di /

adjective

moodier, moodiest

1. given to gloomy, depressed, or sullen moods; ill-humored.

   Synonyms:

   brooding, morose, sulky

2. proceeding from or showing such a mood.

   a moody silence.

3. expressing or exhibiting sharply varying moods; temperamental.

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Moody ² American  

[moo-dee] / ˈmu di /

noun

1. Dwight Lyman 1837–99, U.S. evangelist.

2. Helen Wills. Wills, Helen Newington.

3. William Vaughn 1869–1910, U.S. poet and playwright.

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moody ¹ British  

/ ˈmuːdɪ /

adjective

1. sullen, sulky, or gloomy

2. temperamental or changeable

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Moody ² British  

/ ˈmuːdɪ /

noun

1. Dwight Lyman. 1837–99, US evangelist and hymnodist, noted for his revivalist campaigns in Britain and the US with I. D. Sankey

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Other Word Forms

• moodily
  adverb
• moodiness
  noun
• unmoody
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of moody

before 900; Middle English mody, Old English mōdig. See mood ¹, -y ¹

Explanation

If you're in a bad mood, especially when you were in a pretty good mood this morning, you can say you're moody. A moody person's emotions change unpredictably and often. Someone with erratic moods is moody — you could also call them temperamental or changeable. If you describe a painting or a piece of music as moody, you probably mean that it has a dark, gloomy nature. A moody play, for example, might be a little depressing, or at least melancholy. Moody, from the Old English modig, began by meaning "arrogant or proud," and around the late sixteenth century became "subject to gloomy spells."

Example Sentences

However, dangers remain for Nordex given its relatively high valuation, RBC Europe analyst Colin Moody said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

“I don’t see how else you can get a vehicle that’s as new, as reliable, as safe and as affordable as used electric vehicle,” auto analyst Brian Moody said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

There will be four players making their first appearance at the Crucible - England's Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, and Poland's Antoni Kowalski qualified on Tuesday, with He joining them on Wednesday.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

“How persistent higher energy prices are is just as important as how high energy prices rise,” said Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

At that moment Moody had a sudden clear understanding of what had already happened that morning: his life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng