as in sad
feeling unhappiness
"Why do you look so hangdog today?" she asked
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Recent Examples of hangdog
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
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
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
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangdog
Adjective
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The building directly across the street stands in sad disrepair, its windows smashed, swathed in graffiti, a front garage door hangs half-open.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2025
-
Two screenshots from the video showing Ollie was a sad facial expression.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
What would Georgia wear in her most depressed state?—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
16 June 2025
-
That can put them on edge and heighten their separation anxiety, Langan said, and if their owners are depressed or grief-stricken about loss and uncertainty, the animals absorb those emotions too.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
The root of the fallout was the Who (and specifically Daltrey) being unhappy with Starkey’s performance when the band played a pair of Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
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On Friday, Devers alluded to being unhappy with how the Red Sox treated him.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Days before Father’s Day, the heartbroken dad of Dominic Ferrell, the 17-year-old stabbed to death in a Brickell condo, is speaking out to thank those supporting his family, to condemn the violent killing and to urge parents to hold their children close.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2025
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He was booked into Metro Jail the night of June 1. 'Saddened and heartbroken': Attack rocks Boulder days after Israeli staffers slain Questions surround security protocols at the event The Saenger Theatre did not immediately respond to requests for comment on June 2.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
Championship-only fandom is a largely miserable existence.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2025
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Unexpectedly miserable league seasons last time around for Tottenham and Manchester United — the final opponents at the Amex Stadium next May — are another reason why forecasting is hazardous, especially in Brighton’s case.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Yeva’s story gives the novel a melancholy moral center.—
Carole V. Bell,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Feisty, single, and prone to melancholy, Agathe works in Paris’ legendary Shakespeare and Company bookstore.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement To put all that in context, recall that Black voters are the most reliable members of the Democratic coalition and the Black Church is the only reason these numbers aren’t even worse.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
16 June 2025
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Hatton was talking with reporters, bemoaning a bad break on the 17th ended his chances of winning.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Plus, sorry to the folks who aspire to that Jane Austen type of love, but life doesn't always work out that way, okay?—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
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With Los Angeles production levels in a sorry state, underemployed workers are flocking to a format that’s faster, shorter, cheaper and quite literally overturns film and TV norms.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangdog. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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