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• depression
  depression

  noun

  the act of depressing.
• Depression
  Depression

  noun

  the worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s, when there was mass unemployment

depression

American  

[dih-presh-uhn] / dɪˈprɛʃ ən /

noun

depressions plural

1. the act of depressing.

2. the state of being depressed.

3. a depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface.

4. sadness; gloom; dejection.

   Synonyms:

   despondency, discouragement

5. Psychiatry. a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason.

6. dullness or inactivity, as of trade.

7. Economics. a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.

8. the Depression. Great Depression.

9. Pathology. a low state of vital powers or functional activity.

10. Astronomy. the angular distance of a celestial body below the horizon; negative altitude.

11. Surveying. angle of depression.

12. Physical Geography. an area completely or mostly surrounded by higher land, ordinarily having interior drainage and not conforming to the valley of a single stream.

13. Meteorology. an area of low atmospheric pressure.

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Depression ¹ British  

/ dɪˈprɛʃən /

noun

1. Also known as: the Great Depression.   the Slump.  the worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s, when there was mass unemployment

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depression ² British  

/ dɪˈprɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of depressing or state of being depressed

2. a depressed or sunken place or area

3. a mental disorder characterized by extreme gloom, feelings of inadequacy, and inability to concentrate

4. pathol an abnormal lowering of the rate of any physiological activity or function, such as respiration

5. an economic condition characterized by substantial and protracted unemployment, low output and investment, etc; slump

6. Also called: cyclone.   low.  meteorol a large body of rotating and rising air below normal atmospheric pressure, which often brings rain

7. (esp in surveying and astronomy) the angular distance of an object, celestial body, etc, below the horizontal plane through the point of observation Compare elevation

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depression Scientific  

/ dĭ-prĕsh′ən /

1. A geographic area, such as a sinkhole or basin, that is lower than its surroundings.

2. A mood disorder characterized by an inability to experience pleasure, difficulty in concentrating, disturbance of sleep and appetite, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness.

3. A reduction in the activity of a physiological process, such as respiration.

4. A region of low atmospheric pressure. Low pressure systems result in precipitation, ranging from mild to severe in intensity.

5. See also cyclone

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depression Cultural  

1. A period of drastic decline in the national economy, characterized by decreasing business activity, falling prices, and unemployment. The best known of such periods is the Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minidepression
  noun
• nondepression
  noun
• predepression
  noun
• antidepression
  adjective
• postdepression
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• depressions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of depression

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Medieval Latin dēpressiōn- (stem of dēpressiō ), Late Latin: “a pressing down,” equivalent to Latin dēpress(us) + -iōn- noun suffix; see depress, -ion

Explanation

The act of pressing down on something is called making a depression, and when people suffer from psychological depression that is often what it feels like — the world itself is pressing down on them. Depression can be a persistent mood (rotten), an economic situation (the worst), or just the geography (low). The Great Depression was when poor policy and economic circumstances combined to create a long period of time everyone struggled to even get food on the table.

Example Sentences

Researchers found that seniors with depression who took a daily probiotic alongside their regular antidepressant treatment experienced modest but meaningful improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms compared with those who received a placebo.

From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026

The Melville Unit, based at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, cares for 12 to 17-year-olds who may have a range of mental health illnesses including eating disorders, depression and psychosis.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

But you’ve never heard of this depression because neglect cured it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

Yet even as tracks crisscrossed the nation, the bubble burst several times, the worst causing the Panic of 1873 and throwing the nation into depression.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Daniel Ellsberg felt himself slipping into a deep depression.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin