Jump To:

• 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.

---

depression ¹ 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

---

Depression ² 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

---

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

---

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.

---

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

See Examples For:

depression Depression depressions

Loss of motivation is common in conditions such as depression, addiction, and ADHD.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

A survey carried out in 2025 among Cuban adults detected "extremely severe" levels of depression, anxiety and stress and found a direct relationship between prolonged blackouts and worsening mental health.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

But overwhelmed by the early weeks of motherhood, and suffering from post-partum depression after a traumatic birth, she was daunted by the prospect of a long journey to a doctor's surgery.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

After months of hospitalization and rehab, Reile slid into a deep depression.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

For the rest of his life, William would go through cycles when his mind would race, insomnia would take hold, and he would fall into a deep depression.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Eighty years ago, though the Arsenal of Democracy had vanquished the Axis and weathered a withering Depression, the recovering American people found themselves rich in bills but short on laughs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Unforeseen events could eventually leave them dependent on public assistance, re-creating the kind of poverty that Social Security was designed to prevent after the Great Depression.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

“The Wizard of Oz” reminded viewers of the necessity for imagination and metaphor at the end of the Great Depression and dawn of a new war.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

As the Depression took hold, Paramount sought to cut her pay, and she simply walked away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The economic crisis we face is the worst since the Great Depression.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Wrinkle structures are small ridges and depressions that can form when microbial communities grow into mats across sandy sediment.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

She sees a nation that has endured wars, depressions and cultural upheavals, and she wonders what inner resources we must cultivate to endure what comes next.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Nonsurgical options like dermal fillers or fat grafting can suffuse depressions to create a more centered appearance.

From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026

He added: “I know I could not have been so calm through depressions, inflations, banking and currency crises, wars and political disruptions.”

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026

I had slight depressions at the front of my forehead and a massive crater on each side of my head, running down to my eyebrows.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge