gloomy

adjective

ˈglü-mē

gloomier; gloomiest

: partially or totally dark

especially : dismally and depressingly dark

gloomy weather

: having a frowning or scowling appearance : forbidding

a gloomy countenance

: low in spirits : melancholy

: causing gloom : depressing

a gloomy story

a gloomy landscape

: lacking in promise or hopefulness : pessimistic

gloomy prophecies

a gloomy future

gloomily

ˈglü-mə-lē

adverb

gloominess

ˈglü-mē-nəs

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for gloomy

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.

sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Example Sentences

We've had a week of gloomy weather. The news continues to be gloomy. She doesn't agree with their gloomy economic forecasts. His book paints a gloomy picture of the prospects for peace. I've never seen you looking so gloomy.

Recent Examples on the Web Customers are trading down While higher food and gasoline prices have Americans feeling gloomy about the U.S. economy, hiring remains strong, a bright spot amid the economic headwinds of inflation and rising interest rates.

Kate Gibson, CBS News, 3 June 2022 So why are so many Americans feeling gloomy about the state of the US economy?

Chris Isidore, CNN, 8 Feb. 2022 But eventually the family was reunited in the gloomy, walled mansion of a merchant named Ipatiev in the center of the city, whose leaders were the most fanatical of Bolsheviks.

Town & Country, 14 Nov. 2022 The outlook is similarly gloomy for Rodgers and the Packers.

Mark Maske, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Oct. 2022 Intel's year-over-year revenue for Q2 dropped from $19.6 billion in 2021 to $15.3 billion in 2022, driven by decreases in Intel's consumer PC and server businesses, and the company's forecast for Q3 was similarly gloomy.

Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 12 Oct. 2022 The Illinois Central electric train, an old model with concrete floors and wicker passenger seats, had started its journey north to downtown at the 91st Street station on that gloomy Oct. 30, 1972.

Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 27 Sep. 2022 While prices are expected to rebound by later this year, the outlook for next year is slightly more gloomy, with several firms predicting oil will fall below $100 per barrel in 2023.

Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes, 6 July 2022 Yet the political atmosphere surrounding proceedings has been nothing short of gloomy.

Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gloomy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.