downheartedly

adverb

as in low-spiritedly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for downheartedly
  1. despairingly
  2. dejectedly
  3. sadly
  4. painfully
  5. unhappily
  6. woefully
  7. bitterly
  8. despondently
Adverb
  • For other families quietly and often despairingly living with similar problems of addiction and mental illness involving their children, the tragedy is an unnerving, looming specter — a worst-case scenario made real.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Parents of children made sickest must wait it out in the hospital, despairingly wondering whether their child will die.
    — Noel T. Brewer, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of despairingly
Adverb
  • The Manchester City star sat dejectedly on the bench after he was subbed out for Jorgen Strand Larsen in the second half of extra time.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • Camp Bravo could only watch dejectedly, finally on the beach to witness defeat up close.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Definition of dejectedly
Adverb
  • Residential floor plans in 2026 are sadly lacking in laundry chutes, milk doors and dumbwaiters, but innovations in home efficiency continue to evolve.
    — Jenny Singer, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Obviously, sadly, there have been a couple of deaths on the way.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • The way Corenswet plays the denial and the grief, along with the emotional progression, is painfully human.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Junior running back Elijah Motley is painfully aware of his unfinished business for Shepard.
    — Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • The latest chapter in a story that always ends unhappily ever after.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • As the Chiefs marched to a second straight Super Bowl championship and their third in five seasons, Toney watched unhappily.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappily
Adverb
  • Jayden Maiava had a terrible interception on a second quarter drive, then woefully underthrew a wide open receiver in the fourth quarter with a chance to salt away the game.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2026
  • However, hiring of CDC scientific staff and budget support for high-consequence pathogen programs are woefully slow and insufficient.
    — Daniel Jernigan, STAT, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of woefully
Adverb
  • Nothing comes of it, of course, until months later, when Corinne sees the news that Kiberlain is taking to the Paris stage in a production of the very same play, and bitterly confronts her outside the theater.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the actor-director is trying to borrow a page from his bitterly funny David Fincher hit, Gone Girl (another kidnapping thriller, sort of), but Animals has none of that earlier picture’s wit or Grand Guignol extremes or gonzo structure.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • And in the film’s poignant final scene, Joe despondently plays his piano − only for Angela to sit beside him and start plunking along.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • The concept art and teaser trailer unveiled in 2024 depicted the toys looking on despondently as the child who owns the toys is engrossed in an activity on a tablet.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of despondently
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.

Browse Nearby Words

downhearted
downheartedly
downheartedness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downheartedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downheartedly. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All