depressive
Americanadjective
-
tending to cause depression.
depressive environmental factors.
-
characterized by depression, especially mental depression.
noun
adjective
-
tending to depress; causing depression
-
psychol tending to be subject to periods of depression See also manic-depressive
Other Word Forms
- depressively adverb
- depressiveness noun
- nondepressive adjective
- nondepressively adverb
- overdepressive adjective
- overdepressively adverb
- overdepressiveness noun
- postdepressive adjective
- undepressive adjective
- undepressively adverb
- undepressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of depressive
Vocabulary lists containing depressive
Psychological Conditions and Disorders
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Psychology
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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.
The resolution cited research indicating that children aged 8 to 11 who exceed screen-time guidelines are at higher risk for obesity and depressive symptoms and have scored lower on cognitive assessments.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
She’s done extensive research showing that food insecurity is strongly associated with major maternal depressive symptoms; she points to research focused on the association between food insecurity and suicidal ideation and attempts in teenagers.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
Roughly 15 percent of U.S. men aged 21 to 25 years reported experiencing a major depressive episode in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Earlier studies have shown that people diagnosed with major depressive disorder have lower levels of Reelin in their brains.
From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026
And two of those days were for a depressive episode after a fall in Bowdle, South Dakota, essentially the halfway point.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
