de·pres·sive
di-ˈpre-siv 
dē-
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
depressive symptoms
a depressive patient
depressively
adverb
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Synonyms of depressive
Examples of depressive in a Sentence
Adjective
the depressive story about a struggling artist
Recent Examples on the Web
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Some had heart attacks or suffered depressive and anxiety disorders.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Bobo, a depressive with a habit of finding a pick-me-up at the bottom of a bottle, checks into rehab and puts a plug in the jug for good; Ferrara’s father never dries up, and in 1980 follows his first suicide attempt with a second, successful one.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Whether that is a shortcoming of the script (Ramsay wrote the film, along with Enda Walsh and Alice Birch; it’s based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel) or purposeful by Ramsay in an attempt to keep the lines between reality and depressive fantasy blurred is unclear.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Some had heart attacks or suffered depressive and anxiety disorders.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
Some had heart attacks or suffered depressive and anxiety disorders.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Bobo, a depressive with a habit of finding a pick-me-up at the bottom of a bottle, checks into rehab and puts a plug in the jug for good; Ferrara’s father never dries up, and in 1980 follows his first suicide attempt with a second, successful one.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
Cite this Entry
“Depressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depressive. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
depressive
1 of 2 adjective
de·pres·sive
di-ˈpres-iv
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
the patient was paranoid and depressive
depressive symptoms
depressive
2 of 2 noun
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share