as in depressed
feeling unhappiness
downhearted because his best friend was taking a job out of state
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Recent Examples of downhearted
In the grand scheme of things, neither should be too downhearted.
—
Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
McRae has also made progress carving out an artistic identity—trading downhearted power ballads for sleek, club‑ready cuts that blend R&B, hip‑hop, and dance‑pop.
—Rachel Brodsky, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Despite the boos, Hogan wasn't completely downhearted.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Created by Sirius Cybernetics Corporation with GPP (Genuine People Personalities), Marvin is programmed to be unerringly downhearted.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Near the end of this downhearted saga, Esmeralda gives a speech, explanatory despite its poetic language, about the mistreatment of her people in this country — her fury even more palpable in her delivery than in the words themselves.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
McRae has also made progress carving out an artistic identity—trading downhearted power ballads for sleek, club‑ready cuts that blend R&B, hip‑hop, and dance‑pop.
—Rachel Brodsky, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Despite the boos, Hogan wasn't completely downhearted.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Created by Sirius Cybernetics Corporation with GPP (Genuine People Personalities), Marvin is programmed to be unerringly downhearted.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Near the end of this downhearted saga, Esmeralda gives a speech, explanatory despite its poetic language, about the mistreatment of her people in this country — her fury even more palpable in her delivery than in the words themselves.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downhearted
Adjective
-
Single bunnies can be lonely and depressed.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There was also research, which Meta eventually halted, implying that people who curbed their use of Facebook became less depressed and anxious.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Auriemma was apparently unhappy with the officiating in the game and the disparity in free throw shooting.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the changes, some in the Senate were still unhappy with the final iteration.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There were enough people in the room who were sad about the kid.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
And that’s really sad, because the latest gen is a genuinely fantastic car.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
She was implicated in the case, with heartbroken Karadec handling her booking himself.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Joe heads back downstairs and Irene looks… heartbroken.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wagler led the Illini with 20 points, but Illinois shot a miserable 34% (19 of 56) from the field and 23% (6 of 26) from 3-point range.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Porter Martone capped a fantastic first week in the NHL with a power-play goal in the NHL to put the Philadelphia Flyers even closer toward ending a miserable playoff drought with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In fact, talking about softball made her … kind of melancholy.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The faces of Al Pacino and John Cazale are unmistakable — Pacino’s eyelashes, Cazale’s tundra of a forehead, their little-boyishness in close-up, the anxiety and melancholy in their eyes.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Although not all species of bird can fly (sorry about that, ostriches), many birds do enjoy the power of flight, and this has permitted an almost unlimited diversification of birds, so that birds are now found virtually everywhere on Earth.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But there is one more ingredient, something that has perhaps been buried underneath everything else in the sorry mess of their 2025-26 campaign.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This small meal should be low in fiber and fat, as these can cause an upset stomach.—
Dr. Sarah Kinsella,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downhearted. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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