Entry Word: depression

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a period of decreased economic activity <during the 1930s the U.S. suffered a great depression>

Synonyms recession, slump

Related Words crash, panic; stagnation

Near Antonyms development, growth; advancement, progress

Antonyms boom

2 a state or spell of low spirits <we threw our friend a party just to jar him out of his depression> — see sadness
3 a sunken area forming a separate space <the water generally collects in the patchwork of depressions in the city plaza> — see hole 2