Synonyms

gloomy

American

[gloo-mee] / ˈglu mi /

adjective

gloomier, gloomiest

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.

gloomy British

/ ˈɡluːmɪ /

adjective

dark or dismal
causing depression, dejection, or gloom

gloomy news
despairing; sad

"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

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

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

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 time around, consumers were already gloomy, but their gloom hasn’t deepened appreciably.

From The Wall Street Journal

A training session on a typical Manchester morning can be a gloomy affair.

From BBC

The monthly job data has been noisy lately, and the household survey was less gloomy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Markets tumbled last week after a viral blog post described a gloomy scenario in which AI led to mass layoffs, depressing economic growth.

From Barron's

On one hand he is gloomy, pointing to the risks that Ukraine's defence against Russia becomes a forgotten war.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023