: a despicable or miserable person
Examples of hangdog in a Sentence
Adjective
He came home with a hangdog expression on his face.
“Why do you look so hangdog today?” she asked
Recent Examples on the Web
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2023
The man is Calum (Normal People's Paul Mescal), dangling on the cusp of 32, handsome in a hangdog way, with an arm in a cast and a big smile that can't entirely hide the distress that nips at his joy.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 9 Nov. 2022
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025
Back in his day, hangdog stoner Bob (DiCaprio) used to be quite the revolutionary as the demolitions expert for a small but effective anti-establishment outfit called the French 75.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
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Adjective
The Movie finds its titular alpha wolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) a teenager no more, but still struggling with the same hangdog loneliness.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2023
The man is Calum (Normal People's Paul Mescal), dangling on the cusp of 32, handsome in a hangdog way, with an arm in a cast and a big smile that can't entirely hide the distress that nips at his joy.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 9 Nov. 2022
Noun
Thornton, as the indebted and alcoholic Tommy, pulls hangdog faces and looks as exhausted with the state of the world as the rest of us feel.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025
Back in his day, hangdog stoner Bob (DiCaprio) used to be quite the revolutionary as the demolitions expert for a small but effective anti-establishment outfit called the French 75.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangdog. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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