downcast
Americanadjective
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dejected
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(esp of the eyes) directed downwards
noun
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mining a ventilation shaft
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geology another word for downthrow
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of downcast
First recorded in 1250–1300, downcast is from the Middle English word douncasten. See down 1, cast
Explanation
If you're feeling sad, gloomy, blue, low, grim, depressed, or melancholy, you probably don't care if there could possibly any more synonyms for the way you feel. Rest assured that there are, and one of them is downcast. Downcast most frequently describes a person's mood: downhearted, down in the mouth, down in the dumps, just plain old down. It can also refer to the direction in which something is pointed — down. Your eyes, for instance, gazing downward, are downcast. And many times when your eyes are looking that way, it's because you're feeling that way.
Vocabulary lists containing downcast
Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Front Desk
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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 Haitians were paying taxes and refurbishing the downcast city; sometimes, they even refurbished houses they were only renting.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Plenty of people outside of the Dodgers’ downcast clubhouse Thursday evening saw the Brewers’ four-game sweep of the defending back-to-back champions as the fall of a dynasty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Two of his most acclaimed full-length collections, 2002’s “Sea Change” and 2014’s “Morning Phase,” were downcast acoustic offerings steeped in heartbreak and loss informed by both British folk and California country-rock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The somewhat downcast outlook for earnings per share wasn’t surprising, said BofA Securities analyst Peter T. Galbo.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
With eyes for the most part downcast and, if ever they lighted on a fellow creature, at once and furtively averted, Bernard hastened across the roof.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
