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Definitions

gloom

[gloom] / glum /
NOUN
melancholy, depression
Synonyms
STRONGEST
anguish bitterness despair discouragement doldrums foreboding grief horror malaise misery pessimism sadness sorrow weariness woe
STRONG
blues catatonia chagrin cheerlessness dejection desolation despondency disconsolateness distress dolor downheartedness dullness dumps heaviness misgiving mopes morbidity mourning oppression pensiveness unhappiness vexation
WEAK
blue devils blue funk dismals heavy-heartedness low spirits saturninity
Antonyms
STRONGEST
cheer cheerfulness confidence contentment delight gladness happiness hopefulness joy joyfulness pleasure trust
STRONG
comfort
WEAK
animation brightness contentedness encouragement light sparkle sunniness vivaciousness
NOUN
darkness, blackness
Synonyms
STRONGEST
cloud shadow
STRONG
bleakness cloudiness dimness dullness dusk duskiness gloominess murk murkiness obscurity shade twilight
Antonyms
WEAK
animation brightness cheer contentedness encouragement happiness joy light sparkle sunniness vivaciousness

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.

Appeared in the January 23, 2026, print edition as 'Japan’s Economy Is Worse and Better Than the Doom and Gloom'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

Gloom and doom messages about climate change do not work in Norway.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024

Gloom over worse-than-expected export data offset any positive momentum from an upgrade to China’s growth forecast by the International Monetary Fund.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2023

“Gathering Gloom for Workers,” goes the headline, reporting that “A spreading slump swells the long gray line of the unemployed.”

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2021

Gloom hung heavy over the dinner table as the kids sat themselves down for their final Christmas Eve dinner in the brownstone.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Vocabulary lists containing gloom

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

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Billie Holiday (1915–1959) Tribute List

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