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
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 Like the rest of his teammates, fifth-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown made certain to spin around and soak in the scene as hangdog Sooners fans emptied out of their half of the stadium with a full quarter to go.—Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Oct. 2022 His Mickey is pleasantly mumbly, with a hangdog mien that’s often crosscut with a don’t-underestimate-me swagger.—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2022 Vic accepts his highly public and private humiliation with hangdog equanimity.—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Mar. 2022 Segel earns some empathy as a hangdog Everyman, though his backstory remains such a deliberate blank that any insight is mostly gleaned from his blundering missteps and low-simmering misery.—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022 Last year, for example, a player came into Brown’s office with a hangdog look on his face explaining his mom was pulling him out of the program.—Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 18 Feb. 2022 Another slip here is the casting of Effros in the lead role of Martin, a hangdog techie who travels from New York to Cape Cod to settle the estate of his late, estranged dad, Kenneth.—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2022
Noun
Even the big producer, Joe Josephson, who can come off as a Hollywood hack with dollar signs for pupils, is brought a sense of hangdog appeal by Reg Rogers.—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2023 The idea that the next transformation might be into hangdog defeat . . .—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 Stephen Rea is Eileen’s hangdog spouse, who can’t shop or cook.—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2023 Murray gets the humor and the humanity in Anderson’s fussiness and never fails to bring it out, one hangdog expression at a time.—Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 June 2023 And again, Sandler channels a hangdog torpor, almost a melancholic air, in a performance that bristles with comic realism.—Calum Marsh, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2023 Wolff is heartbreaking as the hangdog and haunted young man.—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2022 Lacy’s vocals have the sort of hangdog ruefulness familiar to anyone who has failed to seize an opportunity, or has self-sabotaged their way out of something great.—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2022 In a career spanning half a century, Hall was a ubiquitous hangdog face whose doleful, weary appearance could shroud a booming intensity and humble sensitivity.—Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2022 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hangdog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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