downer

American  

[dou-ner] / ˈdaʊ nər /

noun

1. Informal.

   1. a depressant or sedative drug, especially a barbiturate.

   2. a depressing experience, person, or situation.

2. Animal Husbandry. an old or diseased animal, especially one that cannot stand up.

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downer British  

/ ˈdaʊnə /

noun

1. Also called: down.  a barbiturate, tranquillizer, or narcotic Compare upper

2. a depressing experience

3. a state of depression

   he's on a downer today

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Etymology

Origin of downer

1910–15, for an earlier sense; 1965–70, downer for def. 1; down ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Every year Dad would walk out of the fairgrounds with at least one human-sized stuffed something or other on his shoulders, and every year all of us would hate Mom for being such a downer.

From Literature

Eventually she started Go Gentle, but still, her heroine was a downer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sorry to be a downer, but the reality is December and January are typically the months when companies cut the most jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Singer Emmy aims for a hopeful spin on a tragic story but, despite a peppy performance, it's a bit of a downer.

From BBC

The ending’s a downer, all right, but you might just smile too.

From Los Angeles Times