depressive

[dih-pres-iv]

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

/ dɪˈprɛsɪv /

adjective

1. tending to depress; causing depression

2. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of depressive¹

First recorded in 1610–20; depress + -ive

Example Sentences

He was diagnosed with a "drug induced psychosis or drug induced depressive psychosis".

From BBC

We think that’s because when you are in a depressive state and you’re ruminating about negative thoughts and feelings, that’s actually robbing a lot of your attentional focus and your directed attention.

From Los Angeles Times

The court was told Webb has had a "severe" autistic disorder since a young age, as well as borderline personality disorder, anxiety and depressive disorder.

From BBC

Landy concluded Wilson suffered from a schizoid personality with manic depressive features — introverted, painfully shy, unable to show emotion.

From Los Angeles Times

"I have bipolar type 2 and tend to go into depressive episodes, if it's a really bad episode it leads to me not being aware of what I'm doing," she says.

From BBC

Related Words

• bleak 
• boring 
• colorless 
• damp 
• depressing 
• dingy 
• dismal 
• drab 
• dull 
• forlorn 
• humdrum 
• lonely 
• monotonous 
• sad 
• somber 
• tedious 
• uneventful 
• uninteresting 
• windy 
• wintry