depressing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of depressing
Explanation
Depressing things make you feel sad or inadequate, possibly because they serve as reminders of weaknesses or defects. For example, it can be depressing to be around a happy family when all your relatives are fighting with each other. If a friend acts as if something is depressing him, you might ask, "What's bringing you down?" In fact depress comes from the Latin word depremere, meaning "to press down." Depressing things make you feel like your spirits are low or your heart is heavy. Something depressing weighs you down, just as something happy tends to boost you or make you feel like you are flying high.
Vocabulary lists containing depressing
The Dead and the Gone
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Better Nate Than Ever
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Louder than Hunger
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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.
Even more depressing was the fact that this situation was not unique to Britain, or to bats.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026
“They feel really flat. They feel a little bit depressing in some instances.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026
"It's depressing… we've been in war for two and a half years and this just feels like another round," she sighs.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Can you talk about why art that deals with depressing and scary situations can actually make us feel happier at times?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
It was depressing to hear, but the truth finally came out about him.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
