hangdog

1 of 2

adjective

hang·​dog ˈhaŋ-ˌdȯg 

1

: sad, dejected

2

: sheepish

hangdog

2 of 2

noun

: 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

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

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, 12 June 2025

John is a starving-artist stereotype in search of a character, and Evans, always an appealingly angular and mischievous screen presence, is treated as little more than a hangdog hunk. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1687, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hangdog

• agog
• backlog
• bulldog
• bullfrog
• eclogue
• eggnog
• groundhog
• hedgehog
• leapfrog
• prolog
• sheepdog
• watchdog

Kids Definition

hangdog

adjective

hang·​dog

ˈhaŋ-ˌdȯg

1

: ashamed sense 1, guilty

a hangdog look

2

: dejected, cowed