doldrums

[dohl-druhmz, dol-, dawl-]

See more synonyms for doldrums on Thesaurus.com

noun (used with a plural verb)

a state of inactivity or stagnation, as in business or art: August is a time of doldrums for many enterprises.
the doldrums,
1. a belt of calms and light baffling winds north of the equator between the northern and southern trade winds in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
2. the weather prevailing in this area.
a dull, listless, depressed mood; low spirits.

Origin of doldrums

1795–1805; obsolete dold stupid (see dolt) + -rum(s) (plural) noun suffix (see tantrum)

Synonyms for doldrums

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3. depression, gloom, melancholy, dejection.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for doldrums

gloom, stagnation, malaise, slump, stupor, letdown, torpor, blues, disinterest, bummer, dullness, downer, tedium, dejection, listlessness, yawn, boredom, inertia, funk, inactivity

Examples from the Web for doldrums

Contemporary Examples of doldrums

But the Republicans have the greatest opportunity to offer an alternate economic vision to the Obama doldrums.
Government Shutdown Melodrama Won’t Matter on Election Day 2016
Stuart Stevens
September 23, 2013
But in these scorching summer doldrums of 2013, you have to wonder: did it have to be this disappointing?
Hope Isn’t Enough: Without Conviction or Destination, Obama Flounders
Stuart Stevens
July 19, 2013
Here's something to chew on while I'm gone: what if the current doldrums are the new normal?
Don't Have Enough to Worry About? Here's One More Thing: Low Growth May be Here to Stay.
Megan McArdle
March 4, 2013
The campaign will now stagger through the February doldrums.
Money Changed Everything for Mitt Romney in Florida Primary
Paul Begala
February 1, 2012
They also outline a serious plan of action to move the economy out its doldrums and forward again.
Top Economists on How to Fix the Economy
October 12, 2011

Historical Examples of doldrums

For several months Crosson waited about, becalmed in the doldrums.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
And when you get in the doldrums, or becalmed, it stirs up your blood.
A Little Girl in Old Salem
Amanda Minnie Douglas
Well, we reached the tropics, and for three days the Doldrums held us.
The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon
Jos Maria Gordon
After a year in the doldrums, Fleet was going to try to smash the Rebels again.
A Question of Courage
Jesse Franklin Bone
Larry,” said Muggins, “I think we have got into the doldrums.
Sunk at Sea
R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for doldrums

doldrums

noun the doldrums

a depressed or bored state of mind
a state of inactivity or stagnation
1. a belt of light winds or calms along the equator
2. the weather conditions experienced in this belt, formerly a hazard to sailing vessels

Word Origin for doldrums

C19: probably from Old English dol dull, influenced by tantrum

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

Word Origin and History for doldrums

1811, from dulled, past participle of dullen, from Old English dol "foolish, dull," ending perhaps patterned on tantrum.

doldrums in Science

doldrums

[dōl′drəmz′]

A region of the globe found over the oceans near the equator in the intertropical convergence zone and having weather characterized variously by calm air, light winds, or squalls and thunderstorms. Hurricanes originate in this region.

Idioms and Phrases with doldrums

doldrums

see in the doldrums.