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
-
gloominessnoun
-
overgloominessnoun
-
overgloomyadjective
-
ungloomyadjective
-
gloomilyadverb
-
overgloomilyadverb
-
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
Beowulf vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Hedge-fund-rich Sang-woo has an air of cool privilege, while the gloomy, taciturn Ho-seok harbors unprocessed trauma about what happened during the strike, the details of which are judiciously doled out to us in flashbacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
On Monday, home builders reported a gloomy outlook, as buyer traffic fell to a 14-year low.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The world's second-largest economy has charted a diverging path in recent years -- an AI-fuelled export boom is masking the impact of a persistent real estate crisis and gloomy consumer sentiment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
A fascinating passage of play halted when things get too gloomy.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Even Mr. Gorley was gloomy: “Wheat’s going to roast right on the stalk.”
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
The only thing gloomier than the leaden skies at lunch on day of the third Test at Edgbaston will have been the mood in the Pakistan dressing room as things went from bad to worse.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 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
Despite the gloomier short-term outlook, Halliburton appeared bullish on the Venezuela opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
As Lina ran through the city with her messages on her first day back to work, it seemed to her that the mood of the people was even gloomier than before.
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
Some of the gloomiest predictions say the human race will be wiped out if it gets in the way of a superintelligent AI's ambitions.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
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
Hell, we’ve got the gloomiest place of all: the United Kingdom.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
They are the gloomiest pictures I’ve ever made, the faces of the boys all blurry and ghostly.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
