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.
He must also wait to see how long he is without Romero, whose downcast departure wiping away tears was yet another twist in this harrowing season.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
The downcast mood in crypto likely hasn’t helped.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
The next day he was quiet and downcast.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
The same goes for “Child Bride,” a downcast and disturbing tale later reworked into the up-tempo guitar-pop tune “Working on the Highway.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025
Then Angelina asks me why I look so downcast.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
