gloom

[ gloom ]

/ glum /

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See synonyms for: gloom / gloomed / glooming on Thesaurus.com

noun

total or partial darkness; dimness.

a state of melancholy or depression; low spirits.

a despondent or depressed look or expression.

verb (used without object)

to appear or become dark, dim, or somber.

to look sad, dismal, or dejected; frown.

verb (used with object)

to fill with gloom; make gloomy or sad; sadden.

to make dark or somber.

OTHER WORDS FOR gloom

1 shadow, shade, obscurity.

2 dejection, despondency, sadness.

See synonyms for gloom on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR gloom

1 brightness.

2 cheerful.

See antonyms for gloom on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gloom

1300–50; Middle English gloumben,glomen to frown, perhaps representing Old English *glūmian (akin to early German gläumen to make turbid); see glum

OTHER WORDS FROM gloom

gloomful, adjectivegloom·ful·ly, adverbgloomless, adjectiveoutgloom, verb (used with object)

un·der·gloom, nounun·gloom, verb (used with object)

Words nearby gloom

glomerulitis, glomerulonephritis, glomerulus, Glomma, glomus, gloom, gloom and doom, glooms, gloomy, gloop, Glooscap

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gloom in a sentence

Away from this gloom and doom, stockbrokers in India have raked in millions during the pandemic.
Indian stock brokers clocked stellar growth in a year when the economy went into recession|Prathamesh Mulye|May 25, 2021|Quartz
In this atmosphere of gloom and despair, much help has come from individuals who have shown extraordinary courage and come up with solutions to tackle the crisis.
India’s ubiquitous auto rickshaws are stepping up as oxygenated ambulances|Niharika Sharma|May 7, 2021|Quartz
There is much more understanding about the importance of flexibility at work as a result of the pandemic too, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
Cannabis and the workplace: The pandemic has bosses and employees craving its benefits|Jessica Davies|March 8, 2021|Digiday
There’s Trent Williams, the star left tackle and one of the faces of Washington’s franchise in the 2010s whose refusal to play after a botched cancer diagnosis enveloped the team in a fog of gloom for all of last year.
Playing the 49ers reminds of past failures, but Washington finally seems to have moved on|Les Carpenter|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

A similar story played out for Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, a Delhi-based musician, whose songwriting emerged out of the loneliness and gloom of the pandemic.
How India’s indie musicians came out of Bollywood’s shadow during the pandemic|Manavi Kapur|December 4, 2020|Quartz
They peered out into the gloom from Battery Park and could not make out her form.
128 Years Old and Still a Looker: Happy Birthday to Lady Liberty|Elizabeth Mitchell|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is rather drawn to figures in pain, to the primordial, and to gloom.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the gloom the flash of missiles impacting in the distance heartened them.
America’s WTF Air War in Syria|Jamie Dettmer|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To add to the gloom, several high-profile Ebola cases have occurred in health-care workers treating patients with the disease.
What Ebola on a Plane Means for the U.S.|Kent Sepkowitz|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hockney released the landscape from eternal gloom and flooded it with light.
A British Start to the Tour de France Forces the English to Wonder: What Does Being English Mean Anymore?|Clive Irving|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As his eye became accustomed to the gloom, David Arden saw traces of gilding on the walls.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
She saw his back for an instant against the pale gloom of the garden, in which vapour was curling.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
He spoke Urdu exceedingly well, and it was difficult in the gloom to recognize him as a European.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Once more these huge explosions unloading their cargoes of midnight on to the evening gloom.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He may be considered as one of the learned few whose genius dissipated the gloom of the 8th century.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for gloom

gloom

/ (ɡluːm) /

noun

partial or total darkness

a state of depression or melancholy

an appearance or expression of despondency or melancholy

poetic a dim or dark place

verb

(intr) to look sullen or depressed

to make or become dark or gloomy

Derived forms of gloom

gloomful, adjectivegloomfully, adverbgloomless, adjective

Word Origin for gloom

C14 gloumben to look sullen; related to Norwegian dialect glome to eye suspiciously

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

gloom

OTHER WORDS FOR gloom

OPPOSITES FOR gloom

Origin of gloom

OTHER WORDS FROM gloom

Words nearby gloom

Words related to gloom

How to use gloom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gloom

Derived forms of gloom

Word Origin for gloom