Synonyms of gloomy

gloomy

adjective

ˈglü-mē 

1

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

the cold rain made for a gloomy day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bleak
• somber
• dark
• depressing
• depressive
• lonely
• desolate
• solemn
• darkening
• murky
• cold
• morbid
• gray
• miserable
• lonesome
• dreary
• depressed
• cheerless
• blue
• dismal
• glum
• morose
• black
• sad
• wretched
• lugubrious
• sullen
• funereal
• cloudy
• chill
• dire
• drear
• forlorn
• sepulchral
• oppressive
• disconsolate
• melancholy
• comfortless
• saturnine
• elegiac
• dreich
• unhappy
• tenebrous
• godforsaken
• dull
• grim
• melancholic
• sunless
• mournful
• desperate
• dim
• hopeless
• dejected
• negative
• Cimmerian
• pessimistic
• plutonian
• woebegone
• mirthless
• discouraging
• distressful
• despondent
• woeful
• tenebrific
• dispiriting
• menacing
• sorrowful
• distressing
• dismaying
• inconsolable
• droopy
• upsetting
• disheartening
• drab
• low
• down
• dour
• lamentable
• hangdog
• plaintive
• discomfiting
• colorless
• threatening
• lowering
• lowery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bright
• cheerful
• cheery
• friendly
• festive
• sunshiny
• gay
• comforting
• joyous
• cordial
• joyful
• merry
• jolly
• buoyant
• optimistic
• mirthful
• gay
• blithe
• hopeful
• encouraging
• cheering
• heartwarming
• blithesome
• jocund
• lighthearted
• lightsome

2

as in sad

feeling unhappiness

has been gloomy ever since the breakup with his girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sad
• unhappy
• depressed
• miserable
• heartbroken
• melancholy
• bad
• sorry
• sorrowful
• worried
• mournful
• upset
• glum
• uneasy
• doleful
• hopeless
• melancholic
• disappointed
• joyless
• dejected
• downcast
• troubled
• woebegone
• forlorn
• depressing
• disconsolate
• blue
• despondent
• wretched
• woeful
• crestfallen
• heartsick
• inconsolable
• droopy
• hangdog
• distressed
• down
• saddened
• suicidal
• downhearted
• brokenhearted
• low-spirited
• heavyhearted
• low
• down in the mouth
• discouraged
• bleak
• despairing
• heartsore
• somber
• cast down
• tearful
• dispirited
• sunk
• aggrieved
• lugubrious
• unquiet
• desolate
• morbid
• dreary
• grieving
• cheerless
• dark
• dolorous
• dismal
• morose
• disheartened
• weeping
• gray
• regretful
• sullen
• anguished
• plaintive
• lachrymose
• drear
• rueful
• comfortless
• agonized
• murky
• darkening
• saturnine
• funereal
• wailing
• elegiac
• black

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cheerful
• joyous
• sunny
• cheery
• joyful
• happy
• upbeat
• buoyant
• jubilant
• blissful
• glad
• gleeful
• exuberant
• merry
• buoyed
• jovial
• euphoric
• jolly
• ecstatic
• optimistic
• exultant
• delighted
• rapturous
• chipper
• mirthful
• rosy
• rhapsodic
• jocular
• enraptured
• excited
• hopeful
• blithe
• jocose
• sanguine
• gladsome
• elated
• energetic
• exhilarated
• overjoyed
• spirited
• lively
• jocund
• gladdened
• blithesome
• vital
• vivacious
• perky
• smiling
• lightsome
• content
• entranced
• frisky
• animated
• springy
• sprightly
• jaunty
• peppy
• satisfied
• laughing
• bouncing
• encouraged
• pleased
• careless
• lighthearted
• thrilled
• carefree
• zippy
• unconcerned
• gratified
• grinning
• easygoing
• cavalier
• insouciant
• heartened
• boon
• sprightful
• beaming
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care

3

as in darkened

being without light or without much light

that house would be less gloomy if some of the overgrown trees and shrubs were cleared away

Synonyms & Similar Words

• darkened
• dark
• murky
• somber
• black
• dim
• dusky
• obscured
• lightless
• dimmed
• dusk
• darkish
• obscure
• darkling
• stygian
• darksome
• unlit
• pitch-black
• pitch-dark
• tenebrous
• pitchy
• caliginous
• rayless
• twilit
• crepuscular
• misty
• gray
• lackluster
• tenebrific
• cloudy
• shadowy
• moonless
• starless
• shady
• dull
• dulled
• foggy
• clouded
• pale
• leaden
• smoggy
• sunless
• fuliginous
• soupy
• shadowlike
• befogged
• beclouded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• bright
• brilliant
• luminous
• illuminated
• shining
• lit
• brightened
• lucid
• sparkling
• lightsome
• radiant
• illumined
• lucent
• glaring
• resplendent
• incandescent
• glowing
• effulgent
• beamy
• lambent
• alight
• beaming
• shiny
• glossy
• lustrous
• aglitter
• sunlit
• agleam
• moonlit
• moony
• highlighted
• relucent
• ultrabright
• ablaze
• spotlighted
• starlit
• floodlit

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

Recent Examples of gloomy

Speaking with The Guardian in 2014, Cort said he was immediately attracted to the role of Harold, relating to the character’s gloomy outlook and need for connection, in part because of his own childhood. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026

Chicagoans were even more gloomy about the country, with 86% of respondents saying the country is moving in the wrong direction. —Maliya Ellis, Houston Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026

Like Ford, Schmiede offers a window on each side of the high roof, ensuring the upstairs bed doesn't get too dark and gloomy for a proper morning wake-up. —New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2026

This year looks to remain gloomy, Reay said. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026