Synonyms of depression

depression

noun

di-ˈpre-shən 

1

as in recession

a period of decreased economic activity

during the 1930s the U.S. suffered a great depression

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recession
• slump
• panic
• stagnation
• downturn
• slowdown
• crash
• bust
• downswing
• downbeat
• downdraft
• downtrend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• development
• growth
• boom
• progress
• recovery
• advancement
• rally

2

as in sadness

a state or spell of low spirits

she called her friend to see if a sympathetic ear would relieve his depression

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sadness
• melancholy
• sorrowfulness
• grief
• sorrow
• mournfulness
• gloom
• anguish
• unhappiness
• oppression
• misery
• dejection
• despair
• blues
• gloominess
• agony
• glumness
• desperation
• heartsickness
• joylessness
• dreariness
• pain
• dumps
• despondency
• despondence
• mourning
• miserableness
• boredom
• forlornness
• distress
• downheartedness
• doldrums
• mopes
• blue devils
• despond
• melancholia
• desolation
• disconsolateness
• dispiritedness
• self-pity
• regret
• discouragement
• hopelessness
• dolefulness
• somberness
• wretchedness
• ennui
• disheartenment
• woe
• moodiness
• dolor
• moroseness
• woefulness
• tedium
• morbidness
• drear
• self-despair
• dismalness
• morosity
• rue

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happiness
• joy
• euphoria
• intoxication
• ecstasy
• elation
• bliss
• rapture
• exultation
• exuberance
• heaven
• exhilaration
• jubilation
• joyousness
• gladness
• joyfulness
• felicity
• optimism
• humor
• mirth
• glee
• gaiety
• merriment
• gayness
• lightheartedness
• cheerfulness
• joviality
• hopefulness
• jollity
• blissfulness
• elatedness
• satisfaction
• rapturousness
• contentment
• cheeriness
• gladsomeness
• content
• mirthfulness
• cheer
• contentedness
• gleefulness
• gratification
• sunniness
• delight

3

as in hole

a sunken area forming a separate space

the water generally collects in the patchwork of depressions in the city plaza

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hole
• pit
• dent
• cavity
• concavity
• furrow
• indentation
• hollow
• ditch
• recess
• trench
• valley
• dint
• cave
• trough
• basin
• excavation
• indenture
• bowl
• gutter
• impression
• groove
• cavern
• burrow
• crater
• alcove
• abyss
• pocket
• opening
• cleft
• vacuum
• water hole
• dimple
• socket
• imprint
• chasm
• well
• nook
• pothole
• niche
• borehole
• sinkhole
• void
• notch
• gouge
• wallow
• vacuity
• alveolus
• gulf
• chuckhole
• posthole

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• projection
• bulge
• protrusion
• rise
• convexity
• hill
• camber
• tumor
• protuberance
• swelling
• mound
• hump
• swell
• jut
• lump
• bump
• bunch
• pimple

4

as in decrease

the amount by which something is lessened

a depression in the number of new homes being built

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decrease
• reduction
• dent
• decline
• drop
• depletion
• shrinkage
• loss
• slump
• diminution
• decrement
• abatement
• fall
• falloff
• drop-off
• diminishment
• step-down
• downturn
• subtraction
• deduction
• curtailment
• shortening
• retrenchment
• cut
• cutback
• slip

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increase
• rise
• enlargement
• gain
• increment
• boost
• raise
• accumulation
• addition
• extension
• continuation
• accrual
• supplement
• accretion
• uptick
• step-up
• upturn
• upswing
• uptrend

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of depression

In announcing the teen’s initial disappearance, the sheriff’s station said the boy struggled with depression and took daily medication for it. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

After leaving farewell notes to her friends and family, Converse, who grappled with depression, vanished without a trace in 1974. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026

Because those symptoms overlap with perimenopause, menopause, depression and everyday stress, women may spend years treating the exhaustion or insomnia without identifying the breathing disorder behind it. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 10 Nov. 2026

But the real breakthrough arrived around age 14, amid his early encounters with depression. — Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026