adjective
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dejected
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(esp of the eyes) directed downwards
noun
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mining a ventilation shaft
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geology another word for downthrow
Other Word Forms
- downcastly adverb
- downcastness noun
Etymology
Origin of downcast
First recorded in 1250–1300, downcast is from the Middle English word douncasten. See down 1, cast
Explanation
If you're feeling sad, gloomy, blue, low, grim, depressed, or melancholy, you probably don't care if there could possibly any more synonyms for the way you feel. Rest assured that there are, and one of them is downcast. Downcast most frequently describes a person's mood: downhearted, down in the mouth, down in the dumps, just plain old down. It can also refer to the direction in which something is pointed — down. Your eyes, for instance, gazing downward, are downcast. And many times when your eyes are looking that way, it's because you're feeling that way.
Vocabulary lists containing downcast
Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Front Desk
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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.
But Verstappen was downcast to be nearly a second off the pace in the Red Bull.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
When she started releasing mixtapes a few years later, she specialized in downcast R&B, singing conversationally over rap beats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026
US private-sector hiring data released Wednesday painted a downcast picture of the job market in the world's biggest economy, especially among small businesses.
From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025
The next day he was quiet and downcast.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
The audience sat still, many with their eyes downcast, as if in meditation.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
