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Synonyms

gloomy

American  
[gloo-mee] / ˈglu mi /

adjective

gloomier, gloomiest

  1. dark or dim; deeply shaded.

    gloomy skies.
    Synonyms:
    threatening, lowering, dusky, shadowy, obscure

  2. causing gloom; dismal or depressing.

    a gloomy prospect.

  3. filled with or showing gloom; sad, dejected, or melancholy.

    Synonyms:
    dispirited, glum, depressed, despondent, downhearted, downcast
    Antonyms:
    happy

  4. hopeless or despairing; pessimistic.

    a gloomy view of the future.
gloomy British  
/ ˈɡluːmɪ /

adjective

  1. dark or dismal

  2. causing depression, dejection, or gloom

    gloomy news

  3. despairing; sad

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See dark ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

  • gloomily adverb
  • gloominess noun
  • overgloomily adverb
  • overgloominess noun
  • overgloomy adjective
  • ungloomily adverb
  • ungloomy adjective

Etymology

Origin of gloomy

First recorded in 1580–90; gloom + -y 1

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.