: a despicable or miserable person
Synonyms
Adjective
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- down in the mouth
- downcast
- downhearted
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- sad
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- unhappy
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
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
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
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
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.
Word History
Articles Related to hangdog
Dictionary Entries Near hangdog
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangdog. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
hangdog
adjective
hang·dog
ˈhaŋ-ˌdȯg
1
: ashamed sense 1, guilty
a hangdog look
More from Merriam-Webster on hangdog
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share