mopey
Americanadjective
Usage
What does mopey mean? Someone who is mopey lacks vigor or spirit. They might feel glum, discouraged, or joyless. When your best friend goes away for the summer, leaving you with no one to hang out with and you feel lonely or sad, you might say you feel mopey. You might not want to hang out with your other friends or you may not feel like doing some of your favorite things. Or you might do them, but not with energy or a lot of enjoyment. You’re feeling mopey. Example: Juan looked pretty mopey after the exam, so I don’t think it went too well.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mopey
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.
Those recipes are about the only Thanksgivingy thing about the episode, which mostly revolves around Ross being a mopey passive-aggressive jerk who has somehow become the object of two women’s affection.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025
“Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy” is a mopey envy-laced song about how good others have it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
Park plays with Man-su’s crippling pride, which keeps him mopey and unwilling to consider part-time work.
From Salon • Oct. 7, 2025
“The A.I. voices sounded like a mopey person with a cold. At least I hope that’s right and I’m not insulting your actual voice! I’ve never met you in person.”
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2023
To the point where I’d think she and Nick were back together if I hadn’t gotten a mopey update from Simon just this morning.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
![]()
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.