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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

And for much of the game Sunday, gloom once again engulfed McVay and a team that opened the season as a heavy Super Bowl favorite. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 There’s been a lot of doom and gloom from the auto industry lately when the subject of China comes up. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 5 Oct. 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

Tsai, the Stanford professor, has conducted research on how emotion in American culture puts value on trying to always feel positive and minimizing negativity and sadness.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Survey findings About 28% of Gaston respondents reported moderate or higher levels of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, anger or boredom, compared with roughly 10% in Union, Venkitasubramanian said.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

Sent from pillar to post – to the bank’s Accounts, Payments and Claims treading dark puddled basement corridors and joining seemingly interminable lines.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Some other notable details are its Super-LumiNova glow-in-the-dark features — numbers 2 and 6 glow different colors to nod to the running back’s jersey number, 26.

— Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of dark

Verb

These same companies continue to kill the clean energy that is not only cheaper, but try to side-step their glaring responsibility for the increasing cascade of climate disasters.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
The possibilities suggested by the compelling title are only hinted at when Jason glares at a group of street urchins.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of glare

Verb

Abdalla’s fall refresh enhances her brunette base by darkening her roots and replacing those golden ribbons with warm brunette tones for lived-in dimension.

— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026
Instead, the surrounding sky darkens, increasing the contrast until the pale daytime moon seems to switch on at dusk and grow increasingly brilliant.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of darken

Noun

Officials say preliminary evidence indicates that all three substances are potent and could result in dependence and respiratory depression.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
When that bubble burst in the Panic of 1893, a third of railroads went bust, more than 500 banks failed, and the economy plunged into a four-year depression.

— Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

Visions, enhanced with shadows and emotion, came to life on marble through sketching the stone and chiseling and carving entirely by hand.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
This refusal to look directly at the shadows is all the more aggravating given how often The Mosquito Bowl pats itself on the back for being clear-eyed.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of shadows

Noun

The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Browse Nearby Words

gloms

gloom

gloomed

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Style

“Gloom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloom. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gloom

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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