de·pres·sive
di-ˈpre-siv 
dē-
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
depressive symptoms
a depressive patient
depressively
adverb
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Synonyms
Adjective
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morbid
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Examples of depressive in a Sentence
Adjective
the depressive story about a struggling artist
Recent Examples on the Web
Sherri Gordon, Health, 15 May 2024
And, at least 21 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
And that shame, combined with the low self-esteem possibly triggered by not bathing, can fuel depressive symptoms even further, Standeven said.
—Anna Gibbs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2024
While some depressive episodes are linked to environmental factors — such as burnout and work, or SAD and seasonal changes — they may also be linked to hormones, genetics, and brain chemistry.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 May 2024
Yet clinicians called by Adibi’s attorneys focused heavily on a slew of mental conditions that Adibi faced at the time of the collision, which appeared to fuel the teen’s impulsivity, irritability, lack of focus and depressive mood and suicidal thoughts.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
The thought of it sent her into a mild depressive state.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024
The goal is for UCLA to then use the data to help health care providers pick up warning signs and prevent the onset of depressive episodes, track the effectiveness of treatment, and potentially understand the underlying causes of depression.
—Kelly Mickle, TIME, 2 May 2024
Antipsychotics treat manic, mixed, and depressive episodes but also reduce psychotic symptoms.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
The statistical relationship between impact factors and mental health data, analyzed from North America and other regions, could then be used to extrapolate the missing estimates for depressive and anxiety disorders for the many countries that lacked that data.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2021
Guston was a depressive and a heavy drinker and smoker who was haunted by two events: his father’s suicide by hanging — most accounts say a 10-year-old Guston found the body — and his brother’s death after developing gangrene because his legs were crushed by a car.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
Hayes is terrific as the depressive and self-deprecating pianist, composer, and noted wit Oscar Levant.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2023
Some of this rather strongly recalls the depressive absurdism and cracked ambition of Charlie Kaufman, another filmmaker unshy about mining his own dysfunction for deranged laughs.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Gerald is a depressive.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, 24 Nov. 2021
This nightmarish scenario is a dream for Sheila (an excellently unnerving Kaley Cuoco), a neurotic depressive searching for purpose and a second chance.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Sep. 2022
Ray is a ruminative depressive who was institutionalized in 1979.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022
Adjective
Walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training may reduce depressive symptoms more than other exercises.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 15 May 2024
And, at least 21 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024
And that shame, combined with the low self-esteem possibly triggered by not bathing, can fuel depressive symptoms even further, Standeven said.
—Anna Gibbs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2024
While some depressive episodes are linked to environmental factors — such as burnout and work, or SAD and seasonal changes — they may also be linked to hormones, genetics, and brain chemistry.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 May 2024
Yet clinicians called by Adibi’s attorneys focused heavily on a slew of mental conditions that Adibi faced at the time of the collision, which appeared to fuel the teen’s impulsivity, irritability, lack of focus and depressive mood and suicidal thoughts.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
The thought of it sent her into a mild depressive state.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024
The goal is for UCLA to then use the data to help health care providers pick up warning signs and prevent the onset of depressive episodes, track the effectiveness of treatment, and potentially understand the underlying causes of depression.
—Kelly Mickle, TIME, 2 May 2024
Antipsychotics treat manic, mixed, and depressive episodes but also reduce psychotic symptoms.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
People living with bipolar cycle through manic or hypomanic (too much energy) and depressive (little to no energy) mood states, McInnis told me.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
The statistical relationship between impact factors and mental health data, analyzed from North America and other regions, could then be used to extrapolate the missing estimates for depressive and anxiety disorders for the many countries that lacked that data.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2021
Guston was a depressive and a heavy drinker and smoker who was haunted by two events: his father’s suicide by hanging — most accounts say a 10-year-old Guston found the body — and his brother’s death after developing gangrene because his legs were crushed by a car.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
Hayes is terrific as the depressive and self-deprecating pianist, composer, and noted wit Oscar Levant.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2023
Some of this rather strongly recalls the depressive absurdism and cracked ambition of Charlie Kaufman, another filmmaker unshy about mining his own dysfunction for deranged laughs.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 20 Apr. 2023
Gerald is a depressive.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, 24 Nov. 2021
This nightmarish scenario is a dream for Sheila (an excellently unnerving Kaley Cuoco), a neurotic depressive searching for purpose and a second chance.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Sep. 2022
Ray is a ruminative depressive who was institutionalized in 1979.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depressive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near depressive
Cite this Entry
“Depressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depressive. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
depressive
1 of 2 adjective
de·pres·sive
di-ˈpres-iv
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
the patient was paranoid and depressive
depressive symptoms
depressive
2 of 2 noun
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share