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depressive

American  
[dih-pres-iv] / dɪˈprɛs ɪv /

adjective

  1. tending to cause depression.

    depressive environmental factors.

  2. characterized by depression, especially mental depression.


noun

  1. a person having or affected with a depressive illness.

depressive British  
/ dɪˈprɛsɪv /

adjective

  1. tending to depress; causing depression

  2. psychol tending to be subject to periods of depression See also manic-depressive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of depressive

First recorded in 1610–20; depress + -ive

Vocabulary lists containing depressive

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.

See Examples For:

Navy Blue emerged from a depressive bout circa 2015, his freshman year of college.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 7, 2026

Clancy was clinically diagnosed with major depressive disorder by multiple professionals: McLean Hospital psychiatrist Dr. Alia Goodheart, outpatient psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Tufts and prosecution expert Dr. Avram Mack.

From Salon Sep. 2, 2026

The study, "Dysregulated adult hippocampal neurogenesis in major depressive disorders," was published Aug. 21, 2026, in Nature Medicine.

From Science Daily Aug. 25, 2026

It is also alleged that Rees suffered psychiatric injury "diagnosed... as a depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder".

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

The added depressive effect of the organic phosphate may then be enough to precipitate acute symptoms.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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