Definition of downcastnext
1
as in bowed
directed down her downcast gaze made us realize that she was shy

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2
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness I'm always a little downcast on rainy days

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downcast With his offhanded singsong delivery, spare instrumentation and arsenal of songs that manage to be simultaneously downcast and extravagant, Drake has wielded an outsized influence on the sound of mainstream hip-hop and even R&B the past decade. Brian McCollum, USA TODAY, 9 July 2023 There also is an approach that has proven uplifting during this somewhat downcast time for the Heat. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2022 In one video, irate workers surrounded a silent, downcast manager in a conference room to voice grievances and question their COVID test results. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2022 In one video, irate workers surrounded a silent, downcast manager in a conference room to voice grievances and question their Covid test results. Fortune, 23 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for downcast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downcast
Adjective
  • Nearly three years after the unit was established, police data indicate a positive downward trend.
    Emmet Lyons, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Sirianni, Mannion and Hurts have all been cagey about any reason for the downward trend.
    Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Quietly depressed, a wife to Reuben (Tracy Letts, Coon’s real-life partner) and mother to Ella (Bella Ramsey) and Jo (Odessa Young), Rita holds a monotonous desk job at a bank by day, and tends to her family by night as part of her humdrum routine.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Sprague conceded Clancy had mental health issues and was depressed.
    Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • There are predetermined dates for lowered flags each year, and the governor’s office announces any additional dates necessary.
    Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This isn’t the first study to link acupuncture with lowered symptoms of depression.
    Korin Miller, Allure, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • For all of the franchise’s misadventures, the Mets — led by ones who were there for that sad September in 2001 — get this right.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Let’s return, then, to La Quinta, and the saddest pizza party imaginable.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Warner and Greenlaw — close friends since San Francisco drafted Greenlaw in 2019 — were together again after both missed most of the 2025 season with injuries, Greenlaw’s coming as an unhappy member of the Denver Broncos.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • There's also the daunting task of keeping young conservatives engaged at a time when many of them are unhappy with party leaders.
    Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school community was heartbroken.
    Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Micah’s life was taken far too soon, leaving his family, friends, teammates, and community heartbroken.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Trabzonspor had two bids rejected — or Saudi Arabia are over, with both countries’ transfer windows also now closed, leaving a return to Brazil as Richarlison’s only escape from a seemingly miserable situation.
    Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Cubs fans have alternated between being ecstatic and miserable, sometimes in the same inning.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • And viewers’ mileage will certainly vary with this peculiar, fun little concoction on seclusion, connection and the need to belong that can’t hide its undercurrent of melancholy about the sorry state of a divided world.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Roderick In Poe’s famous short story The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher is a melancholy recluse who believes his haunted mansion is the cause of his deteriorating health.
    Anna Earl, Parents, 5 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Downcast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downcast. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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