Depressed — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /di-ˈprest/ de·pressed

Meaning & Definition of Depressed

Depressed (adjective)

  1. low in spirits, sad; especially, affected by psychological depression
  2. vertically flattened
  3. having the central part lower than the margin

Depressed (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. curved inward

    "the depressed sections of the highway under the overpasses constantly get flooded during heavy rainstorms"

    similar: concave, dented, dished, hollow, indented, recessed, sunken
    related: alveolar, cavernous, crescentic, cuplike, cupped, cuppy, recurved, dimpled, pockmarked, compressed, condensed, contracted, diminished, reduced
    opposite: bulging, cambered, convex, protruding, protrusive, protuberant
    near: ballooning, bloated, blown up, bulbous, distended, enlarged, expanded, extended, inflated, jutting, projecting, puffed, puffy, risen, swollen, domed, global, globular, round, rounded, spherical

  2. feeling unhappiness

    "I was depressed and didn't feel much like going to the party, but felt better afterwards"

    similar: bad, blue, brokenhearted, cast down, crestfallen, dejected, despondent, disconsolate, doleful, down, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, droopy, forlorn, gloomy, glum, hangdog, heartbroken, heartsick, heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, low-spirited, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, mournful, sad, saddened, sorrowful, sorry, unhappy, woebegone, woeful, wretched
    related: aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, worried, despairing, hopeless, sunk, disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, suicidal, dolorous, lachrymose, lugubrious, plaintive, tearful, regretful, rueful, agonized, anguished, grieving, wailing, weeping, black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, desolate, dismal, drear, dreary, elegiac, funereal, gray, morbid, morose, murky, saturnine, somber, sullen
    opposite: blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat
    near: ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, rhapsodic, blithe, blithesome, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, lightsome, merry, mirthful, excited, thrilled, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine, encouraged, heartened, animated, bouncing, energetic, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, content, gratified, pleased, satisfied, beaming, grinning, laughing, smiling, boon, carefree, careless, cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, unconcerned

  3. kept from having the necessities of life or a healthful environment

    "a depressed class of people whose living conditions have not improved significantly despite targeted social programs"

    similar: deprived, disadvantaged, underprivileged
    related: beggared, broke, destitute, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, needy, penniless, penurious, poor, poverty-stricken, unprivileged, bankrupt, bankrupted, insolvent, pinched, reduced, straitened, displaced, dispossessed
    opposite: advantaged, privileged
    near: blessed, fortunate, lucky, affluent, flush, loaded, moneyed, opulent, rich, wealthy, well-heeled, well-off, well-to-do, coddled, indulged, pampered, spoiled, comfortable, propertied, prosperous, successful, flourishing, prospering, thriving

Depressed (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make sad

    "the thought of once again failing the bar exam depressed me"

    similar: bummed (out), burdened, dashed, dejected, got down, oppressed, saddened, weighed down
    related: ailed, distressed, troubled, afflicted, tormented, tortured, daunted, demoralized, discouraged, disheartened, dismayed, dispirited, unnerved, agitated, bothered, concerned, discomforted, discomposed, disquieted, disturbed, exercised, freaked (out), perturbed, undid, unhinged, unsettled, upset, worried
    opposite: brightened, buoyed, cheered (up), gladdened, lightened, rejoiced
    near: animated, enlivened, invigorated, assured, comforted, consoled, reassured, solaced, soothed, excited, inspired, stimulated, elated, exhilarated, encouraged, heartened, delighted, gratified, pleased, boosted, elevated, lifted, uplifted

  2. to cause to fall intentionally or unintentionally

    "construction workers depressed the roadbed in order to make way for an overpass"

    similar: dropped, lowered, threw, threw down
    related: flattened, floored, leveled, knocked down, knocked over, struck down, toppled, plopped, plunked down, bobbled, bungled, foozled, fumbled, immersed, sank, submerged
    opposite: lifted, picked up, raised

  3. to diminish the price or value of

    "the glut of wheat on the market has depressed that commodity for most of the past year"

    similar: attenuated, broke, cheapened, depreciated, devaluated, devalued, downgraded, lowered, marked down, reduced, sank, wrote down, wrote off
    related: debased, demonetized, underestimated, underpriced, underrated, undervalued, abridged, compressed, contracted, de-escalated, deflated, downsized, dwindled, lessened, moderated, shrank
    opposite: appreciated, enhanced, marked up, upgraded
    near: blew up, bloated, inflated, overestimated, overpriced, overrated, overvalued, added, aggrandized, amplified, augmented, ballooned, boosted, compounded, dilated, enlarged, escalated, expanded, extended, heightened, increased, maximized, multiplied, raised, swelled, upped

  4. to push steadily against with some force

    "depressed the lever to start the machine"

    similar: bore (down on), pressed, shoved, weighed (on or upon)
    related: compressed, mashed, punched, squashed, squeezed, squished, squooshed, compelled, forced, pressured, leaned (on or against), muscled, drove, propelled, thrust, compacted, condensed, constricted, contracted, crushed, scrunched, wrung, crammed, jammed, jam-packed, packed, stuffed, wedged

Related Entry: Depress (verb)

Depress is a different word from Depressed. The synonyms below are for depress, not for depressed.

  1. to make sad

    "the thought of once again failing the bar exam depressed me"

    similar: bum (out), burden, dash, deject, get down, oppress, sadden, weigh down
    related: ail, distress, trouble, afflict, torment, torture, daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dismay, dispirit, unnerve, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, disturb, exercise, freak (out), perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, worry
    opposite: brighten, buoy, cheer (up), gladden, lighten, rejoice
    near: animate, enliven, invigorate, assure, comfort, console, reassure, solace, soothe, excite, inspire, stimulate, elate, exhilarate, encourage, hearten, delight, gratify, please, boost, elevate, lift, uplift

  2. to cause to fall intentionally or unintentionally

    "construction workers depressed the roadbed in order to make way for an overpass"

    similar: drop, lower, throw, throw down
    related: flatten, floor, level, knock down, knock over, strike down, topple, plop, plunk down, bobble, bungle, foozle, fumble, immerse, sink, submerge
    opposite: lift, pick up, raise

  3. to diminish the price or value of

    "the glut of wheat on the market has depressed that commodity for most of the past year"

    similar: attenuate, break, cheapen, depreciate, devaluate, devalue, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write off
    related: debase, demonetize, underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue, abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrink
    opposite: appreciate, enhance, mark up, upgrade
    near: bloat, blow up, inflate, overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue, add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, up

  4. to push steadily against with some force

    "depressed the lever to start the machine"

    similar: bear (down on), press, shove, weigh (on or upon)
    related: compress, mash, punch, squash, squeeze, squish, squoosh, compel, force, pressure, lean (on or against), muscle, drive, propel, thrust, compact, condense, constrict, contract, crush, scrunch, wring, cram, jam, jam-pack, pack, stuff, wedge

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Depressed

The most common words with a similar meaning to Depressed:

concave, dented, dished, hollow, indented, recessed, sunken, bad, blue, brokenhearted, cast down, crestfallen, dejected, despondent, disconsolate, doleful, down, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, droopy, forlorn, gloomy, glum, hangdog, heartbroken, heartsick, heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, low-spirited, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, mournful, sad, saddened, sorrowful

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Depressed

Words with the opposite meaning of Depressed:

bulging, cambered, convex, protruding, protrusive, protuberant, blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat, advantaged, privileged, brightened, cheered (up), lightened, rejoiced, lifted

Related Words for Depressed

alveolar, cavernous, crescentic, cuplike, cupped, cuppy, recurved, dimpled, pockmarked, compressed, condensed, contracted, diminished, aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, worried, despairing, hopeless, sunk, disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, suicidal, dolorous, lachrymose

Near Antonyms of Depressed

ballooning, bloated, blown up, bulbous, distended, enlarged, expanded, extended, inflated, jutting, projecting, puffed, puffy, risen, swollen, domed, global, globular, round, rounded, spherical, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed

Origin & Etymology of Depressed

First known use: 1530

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Depressed

Words & Phrases Containing Depressed

clinically depressed

Frequently Asked Questions about Depressed

What does "Depressed" mean?

"Depressed" means low in spirits, sad; especially, affected by psychological depression. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: low in spirits, sad; especially, affected by psychological depression. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Depressed"?

Other words for "Depressed" include concave, dented, dished, hollow, indented, recessed, sunken and bad. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Depressed" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Depressed"?

There are 227 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Depressed". Common alternatives include concave, dented, dished, hollow, indented, recessed, sunken, bad, blue and brokenhearted.

What is the opposite of "Depressed"?

Antonyms of "Depressed" include bulging, cambered, convex, protruding, protrusive, protuberant, blissful and buoyant. Near antonyms include ballooning, bloated, blown up and bulbous.

How do you use "Depressed" in a sentence?

Examples of "Depressed" in a sentence: "the depressed sections of the highway under the overpasses constantly get flooded during heavy rainstorms"; "I was depressed and didn't feel much like going to the party, but felt better afterwards"; "a depressed class of people whose living conditions have not improved significantly despite targeted social programs".

Is "Depressed" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Depressed" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Depressed" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Depressed" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Depressed"?

"Depressed" is pronounced /di-ˈprest/ and divided into syllables as de·pressed.