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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 The town is a different place during the colder months – sometimes gloomy and overcast, other times brilliantly sunny, but typically quiet, even contemplative. Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025 Skies will be mostly cloudy in the evening, and the gloomy weather may stick around with a 60% chance of precipitation. Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2025 Even at their best, festivals can be full of gloomy, slow-moving, introspective dramas — setting a del Toro monster movie loose in those environs ought to have shaken audiences out of their seats. Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025 In a world of gloomy news headlines, Hasbro felt a cute cartoon piglet was just what the world needed. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gloomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloomy
Adjective
  • When everything looks bleak, a woman holds it up victoriously.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
  • New York — US stocks closed lower Thursday as concerns mounted about expensive tech stocks, and a risk-off sentiment spread through markets after new data showed a bleak outlook for the job market.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • By becoming the light in a darkened world, everyone becomes a firefly that helps to illuminate the way back home to each other.
    Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their respects to the designer at his funeral chamber at the Armani Teatro designed by Tadao Ando, filled with white flowers and paper lanterns on the floor in a diagonal grid formation dimly lit up the darkened venue.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • With so many comedy writers on the bill, the Broder tribute was no somber affair.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Nov. 2025
  • As is tradition, all the women were dressed in black ensembles to mark the somber occasion, which commemorates members of the military from Britain and the Commonwealth who have died in battle.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy lives with her Oscar-nominated and Olivier- and Tony-winning performances in Shirley Valentine, has died.
    Lisa de los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
  • That distaste didn’t hurt Spanberger and her ticket, because 18% of those unhappy voters backed her anyway.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The sky was cloudless and dark with the moon’s light now below the horizon.
    Sheeka Sanahori, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Bordered by antique wood pillar columns, the custom wood and glass front doors lead into a rotunda foyer displaying dark polished hardwood floors that run throughout the interiors.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The Green Bay Packers suffered a brutal injury blow during their depressing Week 9 loss against the Carolina Panthers at home.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Soon, the entire room was awash with clippings, each detailing a different duplicitous scheme — a depressing reflection of how scam culture was taking over my country, eroding our trust in each other.
    Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • During the week, Aluko had described lying in bed at the height of the controversy, depressed and unable to eat.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Perhaps this depressed valuation is what caught the eye of Carl Icahn.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gloomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloomy. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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