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Synonyms

mopey

American  
[moh-pee] / ˈmoʊ pi /
Or mopy

adjective

mopier, mopiest
  1. languishing, listless, droopy, or glum.


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

Etymology

Origin of mopey

First recorded in 1820–30; mope + -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.

“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

Now, supposedly as a result of the pandemic, he’s relapsed into an even more depressive version of his old mopey self — I suppose a purely cheery Monk would be … some other character.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2023

“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

“Yeah, but then look at today,” I said, more mopey than I wanted to sound.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

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