- present participle of depress.
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.
“It’s both depressing and also hopeful. If you are a middle manager, you have a lot of power to shape the experience of people on your team.”
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
The high-pressure system that’s causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particulate matter, pushing it closer to the ground.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
Still, it’s easy to be won over by the album’s passionate commitment and range, how it manages to be depressing and uplifting in equal measure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
"The direction this company is going in is depressing", the former employee said.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
Ten days after my return to Cambridge, Herman forwarded the depressing news, which had been sent to my Copenhagen address.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
