as in sad
feeling unhappiness
"Why do you look so hangdog today?" she asked
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hangdog
His Mickey is pleasantly mumbly, with a hangdog mien that’s often crosscut with a don’t-underestimate-me swagger.
—
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2022
Vic accepts his highly public and private humiliation with hangdog equanimity.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Mar. 2022
Segel earns some empathy as a hangdog Everyman, though his backstory remains such a deliberate blank that any insight is mostly gleaned from his blundering missteps and low-simmering misery.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
Another slip here is the casting of Effros in the lead role of Martin, a hangdog techie who travels from New York to Cape Cod to settle the estate of his late, estranged dad, Kenneth.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2022
Vic accepts his highly public and private humiliation with hangdog equanimity.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Mar. 2022
Segel earns some empathy as a hangdog Everyman, though his backstory remains such a deliberate blank that any insight is mostly gleaned from his blundering missteps and low-simmering misery.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022
Another slip here is the casting of Effros in the lead role of Martin, a hangdog techie who travels from New York to Cape Cod to settle the estate of his late, estranged dad, Kenneth.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangdog
Adjective
-
One of the saddest bits of it, actually!—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Sister Jean would pass away at age 106 this past October, a sad metaphor for the fate of Cinderella.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
First, when shares are at a depressed value, investors can move more of them into the tax-free account.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Dee labeled Angie as depressed, bipolar, lacking empathy, narcissistic, et cetera.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But there are so many other parts of Nigeria, unhappy in their union, who would also want that privilege.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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The matter then came before the Board of Supervisors, which was caught between a sea of unhappy constituents and the possibility of a costly legal battle if the plan was not approved.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His heartbroken daughter told the Daily News just days after the attack that he was not expected to survive.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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My heart goes out to the heartbroken family of Sheridan Gorman.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Or a miserable 48 in the case of the Rangers, still simmering in Philadelphia.—
Kevin Sherrington
Mar. 27,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Their home is huge and elegant, but also maze-like, miserable, and allergic to light.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But for Bo Chen, senior research fellow from the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, this sense of melancholy forms only part of the story.—
Matthew Chin,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Also emotional, sometimes spirited, and other times melancholy are the songs, which Cotillard lip-synced.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bernadine appeared to be useless—or, worse, a potential double agent.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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This is very bad for our health.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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To be sure, few freedom-loving people are sorry to see Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gone.—
Storer H. Rowley,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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But only sorry until the Gershwin got so irresistibly underway.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangdog. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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