Synonyms of gloom

gloom 1 of 2

noun

1

as in sadness

a state or spell of low spirits

has been in a perpetual gloom since his dog died

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sadness
• depression
• melancholy
• sorrowfulness
• mournfulness
• sorrow
• gloominess
• anguish
• grief
• misery
• dejection
• blues
• dreariness
• unhappiness
• despair
• oppression
• glumness
• agony
• joylessness
• desperation
• despondency
• despondence
• dumps
• despond
• heartsickness
• forlornness
• mourning
• doldrums
• pain
• mopes
• miserableness
• desolation
• boredom
• blue devils
• distress
• downheartedness
• melancholia
• regret
• somberness
• disconsolateness
• self-pity
• dispiritedness
• hopelessness
• discouragement
• dolefulness
• woe
• dolor
• wretchedness
• drear
• ennui
• tedium
• disheartenment
• moroseness
• moodiness
• morbidness
• woefulness
• rue
• self-despair
• dismalness
• morosity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• joy
• elation
• euphoria
• happiness
• exuberance
• exultation
• bliss
• jubilation
• rapture
• ecstasy
• joyousness
• gladness
• mirth
• heaven
• intoxication
• exhilaration
• glee
• joyfulness
• merriment
• optimism
• jollity
• felicity
• gaiety
• joviality
• humor
• cheerfulness
• lightheartedness
• hopefulness
• blissfulness
• cheeriness
• gayness
• cheer
• satisfaction
• contentment
• elatedness
• content
• gleefulness
• mirthfulness
• rapturousness
• sunniness
• gladsomeness
• contentedness
• delight
• gratification

2

as in dark

a time or place of little or no light

the gloom of a rainy night is the perfect setting for a mystery story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dark
• shadows
• darkness
• blackness
• night
• black
• dusk
• twilight
• midnight
• candlelight
• murk
• semidarkness
• gloaming
• umbra
• shade
• gloominess
• dullness
• blackout
• somberness
• dimness
• grayness
• umbrage
• murkiness
• cloudiness
• paleness
• faintness
• haziness
• mistiness
• half-light
• brownout
• fogginess
• shadiness
• dimout

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• glow
• day
• daylight
• glare
• brightness
• brilliance
• lightness
• sunlight
• blaze
• moonlight
• sunshine
• starlight
• radiance
• shine
• luminescence
• effulgence
• luminosity
• radiancy
• luminance
• incandescence
• luminousness

gloom

2 of 2

verb

ˈglüm 

1

as in to glare

to look with anger or disapproval

we just sat there, glooming, as we waited and waited for our dinners to arrive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glare
• scowl
• stare
• frown
• glower
• gaze
• lower
• gape
• grimace
• look daggers
• sulk
• sneer
• snarl
• pout
• ogle
• snigger
• growl

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• beam
• smile
• grin

2

as in to darken

to take on a gloomy or forbidding look

he continued to gloom over the fact that he had been passed over for promotion to district manager

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darken
• frown
• stare
• rage
• glare
• anger
• glower
• lower
• scowl
• steam
• brood
• menace
• pet
• sulk
• storm
• threaten
• pout
• mope
• intimidate
• fume
• bristle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lighten
• brighten
• cheer (up)
• perk (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gloom

Noun

The Spaniard’s arrival has lifted the gloom that collected over Stamford Bridge in the final weeks of a 2025-26 campaign, which ended in a 10th-place finish in the Premier League. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

With the belated realization that the Chinese had indeed overtaken them in the burgeoning electric-vehicle business, the world’s other car-makers descended into doom and gloom. — Jamie Kitman, Air Mail, 15 Aug. 2026

Verb

Their allusion to the night refers not to gloom but to evening intimacies, the pianist and scholar Kenneth Hamilton said in an interview. — New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021

The more doom and gloom the policy makers incorporate into their scenarios before setting market prices and rules, the safer the grid can be. — Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021