gloomy
Americanadjective
-
gloomier,
comparative
-
gloomiest
superlative
-
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
Synonym Usage
See dark ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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gloominessnoun
-
overgloominessnoun
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overgloomyadjective
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ungloomyadjective
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gloomilyadverb
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overgloomilyadverb
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ungloomilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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
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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.
See Examples For:
“So Many Tears” throws down a gloomy gauntlet with its opening line: “Back in elementary, I thrived on misery.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Despite the gloomy results, Warner’s stock climbed more than 1% in early Thursday trading to $26.25.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Under gloomy skies, Lewandowski blazed a spot-kick over the bar as Fire's training session came to an end and Iraola's got under way.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
One bright spot in this otherwise gloomy picture is the consumer staples sector, in which insiders have recently become more optimistic.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Dodos, as you know, are extinct; therefore, this rather gloomy phrase means that the thing being described is not merely dead.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A series of supply shocks have rippled through the U.S. economy over the past several years, leaving households stuck with a gloomier perception of their financial situations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Consumer spending still accounts for two-thirds of gross domestic product, and Americans have rarely felt gloomier about shopping–even as they continue to open their wallets.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Consumers, though, have adopted a gloomier attitude, even as analysts note that they continue to spend despite the biggest price shocks seen since the pandemic.
From MarketWatch ● May 17, 2026
The increase came as respondents' views of current business and job market conditions improved, though their outlooks for the future were gloomier.
From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026
His Stygian iron blade seemed to make the shadows even gloomier, as if the infernal metal was drawing the light and heat out of the air.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Even the gloomiest prognosticator thinks a formal default is highly unlikely, and the idea that it might happen within six years is in the very outside realm of risk.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
“I’m the gloomiest I’ve been since 1979,” one economist told The Wall Street Journal at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
Slap-bang in the middle of a month that is all about freezing drizzle and self-denial, the third Monday in January is notoriously the gloomiest day of the year.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2026
Hell, we’ve got the gloomiest place of all: the United Kingdom.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Harry had ever set foot in.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
