depress

1 to make sad the thought of once again failing the bar exam depressed me Synonyms bum (out), burden, dash, deject, get down, oppress, sadden, weigh down Related Words ail, distress, trouble; afflict, torment, torture; daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dismay, dispirit, get down, unnerve; agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, disturb, exercise, freak (out), perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, worry Near Antonyms animate, enliven, invigorate; assure, comfort, console, reassure, solace, soothe; excite, inspire, stimulate; elate, exhilarate; encourage, hearten; delight, gratify, please; boost, elevate, lift, uplift Antonyms brighten, buoy, cheer (up), gladden, lighten, rejoice

2 to cause to fall intentionally or unintentionally construction workers depressed the roadbed in order to make way for an overpass Synonyms drop, lower, throw, throw downRelated Words flatten, floor, level; knock down, knock over, strike down, topple; plop, plunk down; bobble, bungle, foozle, fumble; immerse, sink, submergeAntonyms lift, pick up, raise

3 to diminish the price or value of the glut of wheat on the market has depressed that commodity for most of the past year Synonyms attenuate, break, cheapen, depreciate, devaluate, devalue, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write offRelated Words debase, demonetize; underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue; abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrinkNear Antonyms bloat, blow up, inflate; overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, upAntonyms appreciate, enhance, mark up, upgrade

4 to push steadily against with some force depressed the lever to start the machine Synonyms bear (down on), press, shove, weigh (on or upon)Related Words compress, mash, punch, squash, squeeze, squish, squoosh; compel, force, pressure; lean (on or against), muscle; drive, propel, thrust; compact, condense, constrict, contract, crush, scrunch, wring; cram, jam, jam-pack, pack, stuff, wedge