gloomy

adjective

ˈglü-mē 
Definition of gloomy
1
as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer the cold rain made for a gloomy day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness has been gloomy ever since the breakup with his girlfriend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 At a podium, under a spotlight, a theorist is asked a gloomy question by someone in the audience. — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026 Set in the gloomy colder-weather months in San Francisco, Josephine focuses on a young girl (Mason Reeves) who witnesses a brutal rape while out on a jog with her dad, Damien (Channing Tatum), in Golden Gate Park. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026 With its fourth chapter, Reacher goes full neo-noir, embracing the genre’s fatalistic, gloomy approach while staying true to its action roots. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026 In a season that can graciously be described as gloomy, right-hander Randy Dobnak has been a bright spot for the Royals. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gloomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloomy
  1. bleak
  2. sad
  3. darkened
  4. somber
  5. unhappy
  6. dark
  7. depressing
  8. depressed
Adjective
  • The past summer in Russia has also been shaping up as a bleak season for Putin’s Russia.
    — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Tyler Biadasz suffered a serious injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in practice this week, and the prognosis sounds bleak.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • That might also explain the movie’s attempts to supercharge its few action sequences, as if the filmmakers realized belatedly that a sad book without much incident wasn’t exactly prime summer studio release fodder.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Obviously, a really sad story and hard to listen to at times.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • She’s talked up her push to convert darkened streetlights, many of them stripped of their copper wire, to solar power.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • Bookended by drone shots of the Macedonian countryside and a somber cello refrain by Novogradska, this 86-minute doc is otherwise composed of scoreless interviews with subjects seated in front of black curtains and captured in medium range.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
  • After that horrible 2011 stab at the scifi superhero with Ryan Reynolds in it, Hal Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) returns in a more somber but certainly enjoyable eight-episode series on HBO.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of somber
Adjective
  • Garcia and fellow Democrats are mindful of what’s driving unhappy voters who face a vexing mix of inflation and weak economic growth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes kids performing things on TV look unhappy or awkward, but this girl seems to genuinely enjoy singing while her dad plays guitar.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • The design featured an orange-and-black clown outfit, black gloves and a dark face covering with an exaggerated smiling mouth.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Funky black garlic hides within that mushroom melange, and the pie arrives dotted with a dramatic, dark tamarind sauce.
    — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • Climate change, depressing and overwhelming, falls into that category.
    — Peter Prengaman, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Keegan’s first decision at Newcastle as manager in 1992 was to fumigate the depressing training ground.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Traffic through the strait is beginning to increase, but remains sharply depressed.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Bessent, for one, said a key reason he got involved in politics was to help tackle deficits running at a pace unprecedented for times outside of major wars, pandemics or depressed job markets.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of depressed

Browse Nearby Words

glooms
gloomy
glop
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Cite this Entry

“Gloomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloomy. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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