as in sad
feeling unhappiness
after a disastrous date like that, anyone would be down in the mouth
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Recent Examples of down in the mouth
The movie feels more than a little down in the mouth, even with its string of cliffhangers, some visually impressive, tied together with some ill-fitting comic relief.
—
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down in the mouth
Adjective
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Is this a deeply sad, award-winning tearjerker of a drama?—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
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The schism that developed between Ric and Ben is a very sad part of the story.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Roseanne Barr is unhappy that Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
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There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In recent months, farmers have cited depressed commodity prices, high input costs and a weak export market as pressing economic stressors going into the harvest season.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
24 Sep. 2025
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At first, Walters feared the chicken might not survive—describing her as lethargic and depressed.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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My newlywed wife was heartbroken.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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One woman, Chinni, described the work as miserable.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
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O’Neill is playing the mom’s curmudgeonly father-in-law who seems intent on making everyone’s life miserable.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Many of the people opining and whining about how this moment could be as bad or worse than the 2000 bust are uninformed or ahistorical.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
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Thankfully, my passport wasn’t stolen, nor was it stranded somewhere in the middle of the rainforest (my worst fear at the time).—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most of all, the Blue Jays need to stop feeling sorry for themselves, or aggrieved by the umpiring crew, and lock in on driving the baseball again.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Just not a freak that way, sorry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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George Springer has every right to be upset about the call that went against him in the game Tuesday night for his Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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All parts of this plant contains saponins, which can cause salivation, vomiting and GI upset.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down in the mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20in%20the%20mouth. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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