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
-
Este is sad — Este is depressed-y.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
How sad or scary is ‘Toy Story 5’?—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Isdin Melatonik If traditional retinoids have left your sensitive skin unhappy, Isdin's Melatonik Recovery Night Serum offers a gentler approach with bakuchiol.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
23 June 2026
-
Brown and the Celtics have both since denied speculation that the 29-year-old second-team All-NBA selection was unhappy with his role in Boston.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2026
Adjective
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Barry follows a depressed ex‑Marine hitman (Hader, in the title role) who turns to acting for salvation while tangling with the Chechen mob in Los Angeles.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
-
Epstein seemed to feel increasingly depressed about the conditions of his incarceration.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Sam’s maternal grandparents are especially heartbroken.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Aaron Brown, her heartbroken father, spoke at the vigil.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Bryson, in particular, has looked miserable all season.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
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Despite concerns that the conflict in the Middle East would further squeeze a flagging labor market, hiring has picked up in recent months following a miserable 2025 that saw fewer than 200,000 job gains.—
Matt Ott,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Are those still your worst fears?—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
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While a higher tracker error is not bad in and of itself, most investors become uncomfortable when their portfolio acts so differently from the index.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Adjective
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For this particular one, there was the cat stuff, but also there was the Monica dating stuff, which is very much based on my horrific experiences, sorry to say.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
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These things are around for so much longer than any of us — sorry to bring death into it.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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Scotland may have lost 0-1 to Morocco in a World Cup match at Boston Stadium on Friday, but the thing the Tartan Army was most upset about?—
Penny Kmitt,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
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Katie Wilson won an upset victory to lead Seattle last fall.—
Matt Brown,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Down in the mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20in%20the%20mouth. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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