Did you know?
Based partly on the Latin iacere, "to throw", dejection means literally "cast down"—that is, "downcast". Like melancholy, gloom, and even sadness, dejection seems to have been declining in use for many years; instead, we now seem to prefer depression (whose roots mean basically "a pressing down"). Since depression is also the word used by doctors, lots of people now assume that anyone depressed should be taking an antidepressant; if we went back to dejected and dejection, we might not be so quick to make that assumption.
Examples of dejection in a Sentence
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
The world watched as the heavy favorite to triumph at the Milan Cortina Games sat through several agonizing minutes of dejection.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
This was the first comment Kay had made on the entire hunt that even hinted of dejection.
—Robert V. Broadbent, Outdoor Life, 12 Feb. 2026
In her consideration of Alison Kinney’s forthcoming United States of Rejection: A Story of Love, Hate, and Hope, Holmes spends most of her ink distinguishing dejection, the psychological symptom, from the ‘no’ that really stops you in your tracks.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dejection
Cite this Entry
“Dejection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dejection. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dejection
noun
Medical Definition
dejection
noun
