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as in sad
feeling unhappiness has been gloomy ever since the breakup with his girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gloomy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gloomy are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dismal, and dreary. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

When might bleak be a better fit than gloomy?

While in some cases nearly identical to gloomy, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When would cheerless be a good substitute for gloomy?

In some situations, the words cheerless and gloomy are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When is desolate a more appropriate choice than gloomy?

The meanings of desolate and gloomy largely overlap; however, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

When can dismal be used instead of gloomy?

While the synonyms dismal and gloomy are close in meaning, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

Where would dreary be a reasonable alternative to gloomy?

The words dreary and gloomy can be used in similar contexts, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

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 gloomy Berry, 59, made the most of the gloomy weather and enjoyed a seaside swim with a massive inflatable yellow duck. Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2025 For me and all my girlfriends in our mid-40s, there’s a bit of a narrative about some aspects that might sound a bit gloomy. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025 Elizabeth never enters the movie in any corporeal way, but the presence of her spirit looms large over the entire gloomy tale, co-written by Jory Anast. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025 The Monday morning of Elijah Ming’s memorial service started out gloomy and grey. Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gloomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloomy
Adjective
  • Matters only got more bleak in the sixth, when Rushing fouled a ball off his right shin, smoking a ball right above where his guard ended and immediately going down in pain.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The one constant is the unhappy couple’s bleak surroundings.
    Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, went first to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of telling the bees, a centuries-old custom of informing the bees when their owner has died.
    Elizabeth Bass Parman, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • News voices in the 1970's tended to be somber, accent-less, and almost exclusively male.
    Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Both Ways on Netflix The Lovebirds In the 2020 adventure comedy The Lovebirds, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play an unhappy couple on the brink of splitting up.
    James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
  • But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet's plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.
    Emily Rose, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Kraus also had a dark backpack on her person.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Lakshmi shared a photo and video of herself at the beach wearing a dark pink bikini while playing in the water.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Compelling, sure, but more depressing than funny.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The news is depressing, and now the Tribune is ignoring what is, for those who are not sports fans, their leading form of entertainment.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Fantastic Four is a close second, sure, but Florence Pugh leading a group of depressed villain castaways was the film that really felt like more of a return to form for the MCU.
    Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
  • If management succeeds in achieving its ambitious growth targets while maintaining leverage control, the stock could experience a significant multiple expansion from its current depressed levels.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Gray tones, blacks, murky greens, and of course, the midnight blue complete the look.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • But after that, things get murky.
    Sarah Hutter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gloomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloomy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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