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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 Trade and price data released Monday painted a gloomy picture for the country’s export-reliant economy. John Liu, CNN Money, 9 June 2025 The United States' economic growth forecast was cut sharply on Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, which attributed the gloomy outlook in part to tariffs issued by President Donald Trump. Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 June 2025 Despite the gloomy overtones, Loznitsa’s powerful movie asserts that goodness hides within the confines of institutional control, worming its way through the boundaries of bureaucratic red tape in an effort to do some good. Eric Kohn, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025 Ben Watson then flicked home the stoppage-time winner from a corner — a calamitous end to a disappointing season for City and undoubtedly their gloomiest modern Wembley day to date. Thom Harris, New York Times, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gloomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloomy
Adjective
  • During that bleak era, Che-Chung Tsai, a researcher at the University of Washington, contacted several companies, seeking experimental drugs for use in an animal study.
    Jon Cohen, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
  • That said, Google’s latest survey paints a bleak picture.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • The building directly across the street stands in sad disrepair, its windows smashed, swathed in graffiti, a front garage door hangs half-open.
    Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2025
  • Two screenshots from the video showing Ollie was a sad facial expression.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • For all the highs that Young Thug’s performance delivered, there comes one somber realization.
    Mark P. Braboy, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
  • There are places where 28 Years Later is gorgeously somber, echoing the desolate lyricism of the first movie.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • The root of the fallout was the Who (and specifically Daltrey) being unhappy with Starkey’s performance when the band played a pair of Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
  • On Friday, Devers alluded to being unhappy with how the Red Sox treated him.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Executive Chef Graham House and Chef de Cuisine Graham House of Luminosa in Asheville, NC, recommend using a whole roast chicken, both dark and white meat, but placing half of it in the food processor before hand shredding the remaining bits for texture.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
  • My challenge was to make the sequel scarier, and darker.
    Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • And books about cancer don’t have to be depressing.
    Terry McDonell June 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
  • That was a bit depressing, that first paintbrush touching your skin.
    Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • Nike reported fourth-quarter financial results that slightly topped depressed revenue and earnings-per-share estimates, but the full-year picture reflects the brand’s struggles, as 12-month revenue fell 10% to $46.3 billion.
    Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 June 2025
  • What resonates most strongly is the film’s subtler or more emotional moments — the camera lingering on a man left holding a stick after his dog fails to come back from a swim or the scene where Brody’s son mimics his depressed father’s body language at the dinner table.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • The questions, though, are a bit different this offseason, as Toronto’s optimal path forward is pretty murky, and any mistakes management makes in the next few weeks will only compound their issues.
    James Mirtle, New York Times, 18 June 2025
  • The highlighting reticles for discoverables are thankfully forgiving — ideal for the murky depths that would otherwise hide them.
    Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gloomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloomy. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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