depressing

1 of 2

adjective

de·​press·​ing di-ˈpre-siŋ 

dē-

: that depresses

especially : causing emotional depression

a depressing story

depressingly

di-ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

dē-

adverb

depressing

2 of 2

present participle of depress

Synonyms of depressing

Adjective

• bleak
• depressive
• somber
• dark
• lonely
• desolate
• solemn
• darkening
• morbid
• depressed
• cold
• murky
• gray

Examples of depressing in a Sentence

Adjective

This rainy weather is depressing.

He paints a depressing picture of modern life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Voting rights advocates argue that requirements to present birth certificates or passports in order to register to vote is a disguised effort to make voting more difficult, depressing turnout and in effect disenfranchising voters. — Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Climate change, depressing and overwhelming, falls into that category. — Peter Prengaman, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Keegan’s first decision at Newcastle as manager in 1992 was to fumigate the depressing training ground. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Romano’s wry, hangdog default demeanor suits his character, Joe, a father of two who’s separated from his wife (Penelope Ann Miller) and living in a depressing motel. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1556, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for depressing

• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• distressing
• expressing
• hairdressing
• impressing
• obsessing
• oppressing