dejected

adjective

de·​ject·​ed di-ˈjek-təd 

dē-

1

: low in spirits : depressed

The team was dejected after the loss.

2

a

obsolete : downcast

… her eyes dejected and her hair unbound.

—Alexander Pope

b

archaic : thrown down

3

obsolete : lowered in rank or condition

… the dejected state wherein he is …

—Shakespeare

dejectedly adverb

dejectedness noun

Synonyms of dejected

• depressed
• unhappy
• sad
• heartbroken
• miserable
• melancholy
• upset
• sorry
• bad
• worried

Examples of dejected in a Sentence

The dejected players left the field.

the dejected players slowly made their way back to the locker room, where they could mourn their defeat in private

Recent Examples on the Web

The actor Marisa Abela plays her in a binary state of panic and swagger by sobbing like a dejected child or slyly grinning like one who’s about to wolf down an ice-cream cake. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026

The 5-2 loss was Toronto’s third straight coming out of the Olympic break and third straight display of dejected, dispiriting, flat and admittedly embarrassing hockey. —Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026

Amos Mosaner, the Italian who won bronze in mixed doubles, looked dejected after his team missed a spot in the semifinals. —Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026

The players' dejected expressions are in stark contrast to the elated fans in the stands behind them. —Noel Brennan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see deject entry 2

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dejected

• affected
• bisected
• collected
• connected
• corrected
• defected
• deflected
• detected
• directed
• dissected
• effected
• ejected

Kids Definition

dejected

adjective

de·​ject·​ed di-ˈjek-təd 

: low in spirits : sad, depressed

dejectedly adverb

dejectedness noun

Medical Definition

dejected

adjective

de·​ject·​ed di-ˈjek-təd 

: cast down in spirits : depressed