de·pres·sive
di-ˈpre-siv 
dē-
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
depressive symptoms
a depressive patient
depressively
adverb
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Synonyms
Adjective
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morbid
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Examples of depressive in a Sentence
Adjective
the depressive story about a struggling artist
Recent Examples on the Web
Dominique Fluker, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
Major depressive episodes have roughly doubled for teenagers since 2010, according to Mr. Haidt’s research.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
In a new interview, Elon Musk said prescription ketamine has been helpful in treating his occasional depressive episodes and suggested that taking the drug has been beneficial for investors in his companies.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Approximately 16% of young people suffered from a major depressive event in 2023, more than 20% of teens have contemplated suicide, and studies have shown that increasing use of social media is having an ever-rising impact on young people’s sense of well-being.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
About 5 million kids between the ages of 12 to 17 in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2024
Wishing Reinhart a speedy recovery from her bout of alopecia, and an even speedier recover from her depressive episode.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 30 Jan. 2024
Recent research has also demonstrated that precocious puberty has mental health effects that persist into adulthood, with young adults who went through early puberty more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who matured at an average age.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 7 Mar. 2024
There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024
Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
The statistical relationship between impact factors and mental health data, analyzed from North America and other regions, could then be used to extrapolate the missing estimates for depressive and anxiety disorders for the many countries that lacked that data.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2021
Guston was a depressive and a heavy drinker and smoker who was haunted by two events: his father’s suicide by hanging — most accounts say a 10-year-old Guston found the body — and his brother’s death after developing gangrene because his legs were crushed by a car.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
Hayes is terrific as the depressive and self-deprecating pianist, composer, and noted wit Oscar Levant.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2023
Some of this rather strongly recalls the depressive absurdism and cracked ambition of Charlie Kaufman, another filmmaker unshy about mining his own dysfunction for deranged laughs.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Gerald is a depressive.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, 24 Nov. 2021
This nightmarish scenario is a dream for Sheila (an excellently unnerving Kaley Cuoco), a neurotic depressive searching for purpose and a second chance.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Sep. 2022
Ray is a ruminative depressive who was institutionalized in 1979.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022
Adjective
Also, a recent study found that dancing 150 minutes weekly can reduce stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
Major depressive episodes have roughly doubled for teenagers since 2010, according to Mr. Haidt’s research.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
In a new interview, Elon Musk said prescription ketamine has been helpful in treating his occasional depressive episodes and suggested that taking the drug has been beneficial for investors in his companies.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Approximately 16% of young people suffered from a major depressive event in 2023, more than 20% of teens have contemplated suicide, and studies have shown that increasing use of social media is having an ever-rising impact on young people’s sense of well-being.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
About 5 million kids between the ages of 12 to 17 in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2024
Wishing Reinhart a speedy recovery from her bout of alopecia, and an even speedier recover from her depressive episode.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 30 Jan. 2024
Recent research has also demonstrated that precocious puberty has mental health effects that persist into adulthood, with young adults who went through early puberty more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who matured at an average age.
—Alexa Lee, STAT, 7 Mar. 2024
There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
People living with bipolar cycle through manic or hypomanic (too much energy) and depressive (little to no energy) mood states, McInnis told me.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
The statistical relationship between impact factors and mental health data, analyzed from North America and other regions, could then be used to extrapolate the missing estimates for depressive and anxiety disorders for the many countries that lacked that data.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2021
Guston was a depressive and a heavy drinker and smoker who was haunted by two events: his father’s suicide by hanging — most accounts say a 10-year-old Guston found the body — and his brother’s death after developing gangrene because his legs were crushed by a car.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
Hayes is terrific as the depressive and self-deprecating pianist, composer, and noted wit Oscar Levant.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2023
Some of this rather strongly recalls the depressive absurdism and cracked ambition of Charlie Kaufman, another filmmaker unshy about mining his own dysfunction for deranged laughs.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Gerald is a depressive.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, 24 Nov. 2021
This nightmarish scenario is a dream for Sheila (an excellently unnerving Kaley Cuoco), a neurotic depressive searching for purpose and a second chance.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Sep. 2022
Ray is a ruminative depressive who was institutionalized in 1979.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depressive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing depressive
Dictionary Entries Near depressive
Cite this Entry
“Depressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depressive. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
depressive
1 of 2 adjective
de·pres·sive
di-ˈpres-iv
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
the patient was paranoid and depressive
depressive symptoms
depressive
2 of 2 noun
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
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