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Synonyms

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:

As well as frequent depressive periods, she experienced 'hypomania' episodes, spurts of unusually high energy, activity, or mood that were less severe than full mania.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Binghamton study was designed to investigate that question by tracking both depressive symptoms and attention patterns over time.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

AI use among more than 2,300 middle-school students is increasing rapidly—and any AI use is associated with higher social anxiety and depressive symptoms, according to researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

The feeling of being an outsider resulted in a major depressive episode.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

"I'll be depressive soon enough, but while you eat your candy just allow me to chew the rag; there's a kind of substance in it."

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

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