moody
adjective
given to gloomy, depressed, or sullen moods; ill-humored.
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 soft green remains in the primary bedroom, which also features moody fabrics, such as a tapestry hanging on the wall and heavy patterned curtains.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 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
Bella Ramsey spent many teenage years working with adults so never really went through the moody, rebellious phase often associated with being a teenager.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Kavinsky, the French electronic musician and DJ whose moody single “Nightcall” scored the hit film “Drive,” has died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Vincent is more volatile and moody, Theo more melancholy.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
It also criticized the office of then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for failing to exercise sufficient oversight of the settlement.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Healthy profit growth continues to free up cash that is, in turn, helping support business investment spending,” especially on artificial intelligence, said Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Nixon, a union organizer who supports Medicare for All, will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed to the seat last year, in November.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
The tour ends Aug. 14 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“He never tells me anything,” Moody said, and pushed the door open and went out onto the front lawn.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
"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
There’s also a moodier side to him that you get peeks of in his stand-up but that probably deserves fuller expression.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Lyrically, however, it was moodier than past singles, acknowledging the quick pace of change and speaking to the power of restlessness.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2022
Besides, the navigator has been moodier than usual.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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
He wanted to get to know Yoenis Cespedes, who is regarded around the clubhouse as the team’s moodiest, most tempestuous player.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2018
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
He liked her even in her moodiest moments.
From Never-Fail Blake by Arthur Stringer
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.
