gloomy

[gloo-mee]

adjective

gloomier, gloomiest 

1. dark or dim; deeply shaded.

   gloomy skies.

   Synonyms: threatening, lowering, dusky, shadowy, obscure

2. causing gloom; dismal or depressing.

   a gloomy prospect.

3. filled with or showing gloom; sad, dejected, or melancholy.

   Synonyms: dispirited, glum, depressed, despondent, downhearted, downcast
   Antonyms: happy

4. hopeless or despairing; pessimistic.

   a gloomy view of the future.

gloomy

/ ˈɡluːmɪ /

adjective

1. dark or dismal

2. causing depression, dejection, or gloom

   gloomy news

3. despairing; sad

Other Word Forms

• gloomily adverb
• gloominess noun
• overgloomily adverb
• overgloominess noun
• overgloomy adjective
• ungloomily adverb
• ungloomy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gloomy¹

First recorded in 1580–90; gloom + -y ¹

Synonym Study

See dark ( def. ).

Example Sentences

I ended up with a string of the gloomiest conversations in my long career — and I’ve covered two foreign civil wars and more stock market crashes and economic slumps than I can count.

From Los Angeles Times

By the time they came to bat in gloomy conditions with the floodlights on, South Africa looked a beaten side.

From BBC

“I move through life very organically. I’m not much of a future planner,” she says through a Zoom call on an unusually gloomy summer afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times

"On the ground floor there were no windows. It felt like you were in a hospital in the basement. It was a slightly gloomy place, a gloomy rabbit warren."

From BBC

"Everything was so dark and so gloomy," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• depressed 
• dismal 
• dour 
• forlorn 
• glum 
• melancholy 
• miserable 
• pessimistic 
• sad 
• solemn 
• sullen 
• ugly