GLOOM Synonyms: 197 Similar and Opposite Words

gloom 1 of 2

noun

Definition of gloom

as in sadness

a state or spell of low spirits has been in a perpetual gloom since his dog died

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

gloom

2 of 2

verb

ˈglüm

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 gloom

Noun

Rather than falling prey to the tech takeover doom and gloom, take the time to restrategize. — Claire Bahn, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 While the gloom may be worthy of the Pacific Northwest, SDFC can still see some sunshine. — Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 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 See All Example Sentences for gloom

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloom

Noun

Despite being steeped in the sadness and frustration of the working class, Lee’s drama uses its film-within-a-film construct to refract the moral valences of labor through the prism of what people actually earn through their work.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
This one, however, finds the director in a mood to confront the inevitable changes and march of time, its joys and sadness in the lives of ordinary people going about living it.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sadness

Verb

There was one glaring error that allowed the pass rush to get to Osborne and affect his throw, which landed in the arms of a linebacker in the middle of the field for his first interception of the year.

— Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
The duo's defiance paved the way for a resolution to condemn socialism, a key election-year messaging bill for the GOP that drew glaring defections among Democrats, many of whom were incensed at the turn of events.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of glare

Verb

China’s growth target is already its lowest since 1991, and the economic picture is darkened further by a real estate downturn that is straining local government finances and undercutting spending capacity, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
When a treatment starts, the room darkens, and chromatherapy lights cast soft purple, blue, and red hues across the room as a soft mist showers down from the ceiling.

— Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of darken

Noun

Overall, Carr says groups treated with itPBM showed fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD, and showed more efficient processing, faster response speed, improved sustained attention and enhanced executive function.

— Mirin Fader, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The left brain, by contrast, commands language processing, and following a stroke to the left brain, a person can develop not only a communication disorder but often post-stroke depression as well.

— Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

Behind a thick column, lurking in the shadows, a kind looking man with an Irish brogue quietly summoned me.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
The consequence is that, even if these models successfully preserve literary materials that might otherwise be lost to time or foundering interest, the source will always remain in the shadows.

— Francesca Mancino, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of shadows

Noun

On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.

— Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026

Definition of melancholy

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gloms

gloom

gloomed

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Style

“Gloom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloom. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of gloom

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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