: 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
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
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
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
His puppy dog demeanor was back, replacing the hangdog expression earlier.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangdog. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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