moody
adjective
given to gloomy, depressed, or sullen moods; ill-humored.
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moody
1 American
[moo-dee]
/ ˈmu di /
Moody
2
American
[moo-dee]
/ ˈmu di /
noun
-
Dwight Lyman 1837–99, U.S. evangelist.
-
Helen Wills. Wills, Helen Newington.
-
William Vaughn 1869–1910, U.S. poet and playwright.
moody
1
British
/ ˈmuːdɪ /
adjective
-
sullen, sulky, or gloomy
-
temperamental or changeable
Moody
2
British
/ ˈmuːdɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of moody
before 900; Middle English mody, Old English mōdig. See mood 1, -y 1
Explanation
If you're in a bad mood, especially when you were in a pretty good mood this morning, you can say you're moody. A moody person's emotions change unpredictably and often. Someone with erratic moods is moody — you could also call them temperamental or changeable. If you describe a painting or a piece of music as moody, you probably mean that it has a dark, gloomy nature. A moody play, for example, might be a little depressing, or at least melancholy. Moody, from the Old English modig, began by meaning "arrogant or proud," and around the late sixteenth century became "subject to gloomy spells."
Vocabulary lists containing moody
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y
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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:
The rock band’s ninth studio album has an enveloping, moody sound, but it can’t quite compensate for Josh Homme’s less-than-memorable songwriting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The formal dining room is to the right, while a moody sitting room with deep purple walls and coffered ceilings is to the left.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The fan art features moody Ivy League backdrops with bunny ears, heavy tomes, blood-red candles and saccharine doll-like fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Where Tumblr-ites dreamed of the cloistered quads and moody libraries of Princeton in the 2010s, TikTok-ers now obsess over the elaborate rituals of University of Alabama sororities.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
A moody man, often competent, bad-tempered, wealthy, aspires to a place in Richmond society, frets and broods and fights with superiors.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Hair and makeup designer Flora Moody estimates her team applied orc makeup to more than a thousand performers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Dr Hannah Moody, chief executive of charity Mesothelioma UK which campaigns on asbestos-related diseases, said she backs introducing a national asbestos register and the phased removal of asbestos from public buildings.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Benefit costs, especially health-insurance plans, will accelerate meaningfully next year, Moody said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
DeSantis appointed Uthmeier, his former chief of staff, as attorney general last year to succeed Ashley Moody when she was named a U.S. senator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Then both of them looked up and saw Moody, astride his bicycle on the sidewalk, and froze.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
The pop star’s new album is a darker, moodier follow-up to 2024’s tender “Eternal Sunshine.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
"He's moodier," she says, adding he spends more time playing video games than before.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
“Midnights,” from 2022, was a little moodier than 2024’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” which was a little wordier than its predecessor, but both operated within a relatively narrow template.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
This version of carrot cake is darker, denser, a little moodier.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2025
The weather’s grown moodier since I fell asleep.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
He works through his grandfather’s illness and eventual demise on “God Laughs,” the moodiest and most haunting song of the project.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2022
The album, their third and moodiest, was a distinct, post-punk swerve away from the hip-hop and breakbeat culture they had championed in Bristol.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 17, 2019
I would call wine the moodiest drink you could possibly imagine.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2015
Chugging guitars set the tone for the rest of the album, which is their moodiest and most energetic since the reunion with Sprout.
From Time ● Feb. 21, 2014
How unlike the exuberant spirits of ——, which always depress mine more than a day's tête-à-tête with the moodiest hypochondriac could do!
From The Idler in France by Marguerite, Countess of Blessington
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