gloomy
Americanadjective
-
dark or dim; deeply shaded.
gloomy skies.
- Synonyms:
- threatening, lowering, dusky, shadowy, obscure
-
causing gloom; dismal or depressing.
a gloomy prospect.
-
filled with or showing gloom; sad, dejected, or melancholy.
- Synonyms:
- dispirited, glum, depressed, despondent, downhearted, downcast
- Antonyms:
- happy
-
hopeless or despairing; pessimistic.
a gloomy view of the future.
adjective
-
dark or dismal
-
causing depression, dejection, or gloom
gloomy news
-
despairing; sad
Related Words
See dark ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- gloomily adverb
- gloominess noun
- overgloomily adverb
- overgloominess noun
- overgloomy adjective
- ungloomily adverb
- ungloomy adjective
Etymology
Origin of gloomy
Explanation
Gloomy means "dark and dreary." A cloudy day, a sad song about lost love, your downbeat mood after your team loses a big game — all of these can be called gloomy. Have you ever been called a Gloomy Gus? If so, you must have been acting depressed or sulky. But you aren't the first to be called that — after all, Gloomy Gus was a comic book character who first appeared in 1904. By the 1940s, this nickname caught on, describing — and possibly adding to the misery — of those who are less happy-seeming than the people around them.
Vocabulary lists containing gloomy
Beowulf vocabulary
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Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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.
This follows gloomy predictions for the numbers studying the languages by 2030 after the number of pupils in Wales taking French and German almost halved between 2015 and 2021.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
As for AT&T, it’s a classic defensive stock—even gloomy consumers need their cellphones.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Very large funds are one bright spot in this gloomy fundraising landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
“Some of the short-term impacts we are seeing — Americans are frustrated, consumer sentiment is gloomy or even grim,” Long said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
The good housekeeper tried again to say something cheerful, for she was one of those people who believe too much silence makes a room gloomy.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
