depressed
Americanadjective
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sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast.
- Synonyms:
- morbid, blue, miserable, despondent, morose
- Antonyms:
- happy
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pressed down, or situated lower than the general surface.
-
lowered in force, amount, etc.
-
undergoing economic hardship, especially poverty and unemployment.
-
being or measured below the standard or norm.
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Botany, Zoology. flattened down; greater in width than in height.
-
Psychiatry. having or experiencing depression.
adjective
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low in spirits; downcast; despondent
-
lower than the surrounding surface
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pressed down or flattened
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Also: distressed. characterized by relative economic hardship, such as unemployment
a depressed area
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lowered in force, intensity, or amount
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(of plant parts) flattened as though pressed from above
-
zoology flattened from top to bottom
the depressed bill of the spoonbill
Other Word Forms
- nondepressed adjective
- quasi-depressed adjective
- subdepressed adjective
- undepressed adjective
Etymology
Origin of depressed
From a late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; depress, -ed 2
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.
Harsh winter weather, meanwhile, almost certainly depressed hiring in February, even if the government’s initial report didn’t show much sign of it.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
He also told them he was depressed because she had died and his kids were “going through stuff.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
The goal was to boost capital markets activity, depressed after the Financial Crisis, by making it easier for small, high-growth companies to raise capital through IPOs.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
She wrote nearly three-quarters of a novel, but her agent called it “a depressed book.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
“Do you feel depressed? Because my mom has depression, and sometimes she stares at the wall while she’s in bed. Sorry. That sounded super depressing.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
