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
-
So is this really worth being sad about?—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Perhaps the saddest was the case of a Garden Grove gas station owner who was convicted of misdemeanors for illegally giving customers preferential treatment.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But there are so many other parts of Nigeria, unhappy in their union, who would also want that privilege.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The matter then came before the Board of Supervisors, which was caught between a sea of unhappy constituents and the possibility of a costly legal battle if the plan was not approved.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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First, when shares are at a depressed value, investors can move more of them into the tax-free account.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Dee labeled Angie as depressed, bipolar, lacking empathy, narcissistic, et cetera.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The story unfolds in Enoshima, Japan, where a middle-aged salaryman, unable to submit his resignation letter, meets a heartbroken young Korean man at a ramen shop.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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The comedy lies in the unwavering sincerity with which every ridiculous twist is treated, from one-night stands with a cuy fighter and multiple fires to violent abductions and a heartbroken lover riding her motorcycle off a cliff.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So then life becomes miserable, and a footballer that’s unhappy doesn’t perform.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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Hurricanes lead to power failures that make heat waves more miserable.—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What's worse are diesel prices.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The family had made the three-day journey west based on reports that autism services in Colorado would be better, but in the upheaval of a move, Ethan had gotten worse and thrown his father into a wall.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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To be sure, few freedom-loving people are sorry to see Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gone.—
Storer H. Rowley,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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But only sorry until the Gershwin got so irresistibly underway.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But if the jumpers go cold, the Tide will be vulnerable to a first-round upset.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
After trailing for most of the game, Minnesota used a frantic 14-0 run to start the final frame to finally wake up a home crowd that had been nervously starring down a major upset in their own backyard.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 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 25 Mar. 2026.
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