Depression — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /di-ˈpre-shən/ de·pres·sion

Meaning & Definition of Depression

Depression (noun)

  1. an act of depressing or a state of being depressed
  2. a state of feeling sad, low spirits, melancholy; specifically, a mood disorder that is marked by varying degrees of sadness, despair, and loneliness and that is typically accompanied by inactivity, guilt, loss of concentration, social withdrawal, sleep disturbances, and sometimes suicidal tendencies
  3. a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force

Depression (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a period of decreased economic activity

    "during the 1930s the U.S. suffered a great depression"

    similar: recession, slump
    related: bust, crash, panic, stagnation, downbeat, downdraft, downswing, downtrend, downturn, slowdown
    opposite: boom
    near: development, growth, advancement, progress, rally, recovery

  2. a state or spell of low spirits

    "she called her friend to see if a sympathetic ear would relieve his depression"

    similar: blue devils, blues, dejection, desolation, despond, despondence, despondency, disconsolateness, dispiritedness, doldrums, dolefulness, downheartedness, dreariness, dumps, forlornness, gloom, gloominess, glumness, heartsickness, joylessness, melancholy, miserableness, mopes, mournfulness, oppression, sadness, sorrowfulness, unhappiness
    related: melancholia, self-pity, anguish, dolor, grief, mourning, somberness, sorrow, woefulness, agony, distress, pain, misery, woe, wretchedness, discouragement, disheartenment, moodiness, despair, desperation, hopelessness, self-despair, boredom, ennui, tedium, dismalness, drear, morbidness, moroseness, morosity, regret, rue
    opposite: bliss, blissfulness, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, exuberance, exultation, felicity, gladness, gladsomeness, happiness, heaven, intoxication, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilation, rapture, rapturousness
    near: gaiety, gayness, glee, gleefulness, humor, jollity, joviality, lightheartedness, merriment, mirth, mirthfulness, cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, hopefulness, optimism, sunniness, content, contentedness, contentment, satisfaction, delight, gratification

  3. a sunken area forming a separate space

    "the water generally collects in the patchwork of depressions in the city plaza"

    similar: cavity, concavity, dent, dint, hole, hollow, indentation, indenture, pit, recess
    related: burrow, cave, cavern, ditch, excavation, furrow, groove, gutter, trench, trough, basin, bowl, valley, alcove, cleft, niche, nook, opening, socket, alveolus, dimple, gouge, impression, imprint, notch, pocket, borehole, chuckhole, crater, posthole, pothole, sinkhole, wallow, water hole, well, abyss, chasm, gulf, vacuity, vacuum, void
    opposite: bulge, camber, convexity, jut, projection, protrusion, protuberance
    near: hill, mound, rise, bump, bunch, hump, lump, pimple, swell, swelling, tumor

  4. the amount by which something is lessened

    "a depression in the number of new homes being built"

    similar: abatement, decline, decrease, decrement, dent, depletion, diminishment, diminution, drop, drop-off, fall, falloff, loss, reduction, shrinkage, step-down
    related: deduction, subtraction, downturn, slip, slump, curtailment, cut, cutback, retrenchment, shortening
    opposite: boost, enlargement, gain, increase, increment, raise, rise, step-up, uptick
    near: accretion, accrual, accumulation, addition, supplement, continuation, extension, upswing, uptrend, upturn

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Depression

The most common words with a similar meaning to Depression:

recession, slump, blue devils, blues, dejection, desolation, despond, despondence, despondency, disconsolateness, dispiritedness, doldrums, dolefulness, downheartedness, dreariness, dumps, forlornness, gloom, gloominess, glumness, heartsickness, joylessness, melancholy, miserableness, mopes, mournfulness, oppression, sadness, sorrowfulness, unhappiness, cavity, concavity, dent, dint, hole, hollow, indentation, indenture, pit, recess

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Depression

Words with the opposite meaning of Depression:

boom, bliss, blissfulness, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, exuberance, exultation, felicity, gladness, gladsomeness, happiness, heaven, intoxication, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilation, rapture, rapturousness, bulge, camber, convexity, jut, projection, protrusion, protuberance, boost

Related Words for Depression

bust, crash, panic, stagnation, downbeat, downdraft, downswing, downtrend, downturn, slowdown, melancholia, self-pity, anguish, dolor, grief, mourning, somberness, sorrow, woefulness, agony, distress, pain, misery, woe, wretchedness, discouragement, disheartenment, moodiness, despair, desperation

Near Antonyms of Depression

development, growth, advancement, progress, rally, recovery, gaiety, gayness, glee, gleefulness, humor, jollity, joviality, lightheartedness, merriment, mirth, mirthfulness, cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, hopefulness, optimism, sunniness, content, contentedness, contentment, satisfaction, delight, gratification, hill

Word Forms of Depression

Inflections: depressions

Origin & Etymology of Depression

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Depression

Words & Phrases Containing Depression

Depression glass, angle of depression, clinical depression, Great Depression, major depression, manic depression, postpartum depression, unipolar depression

Frequently Asked Questions about Depression

What does "Depression" mean?

"Depression" means an act of depressing or a state of being depressed. As a noun, it is defined as: an act of depressing or a state of being depressed. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Depression"?

Other words for "Depression" include recession, slump, blue devils, blues, dejection, desolation, despond and despondence. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Depression" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Depression"?

There are 146 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Depression". Common alternatives include recession, slump, blue devils, blues, dejection, desolation, despond, despondence, despondency and disconsolateness.

What is the opposite of "Depression"?

Antonyms of "Depression" include boom, bliss, blissfulness, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria and exhilaration. Near antonyms include development, growth, advancement and progress.

How do you use "Depression" in a sentence?

Examples of "Depression" in a sentence: "during the 1930s the U.S. suffered a great depression"; "she called her friend to see if a sympathetic ear would relieve his depression"; "the water generally collects in the patchwork of depressions in the city plaza".

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

"Depression" is a noun.

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

As a B2-level word, "Depression" 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+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Depression"?

"Depression" is pronounced /di-ˈpre-shən/ and divided into syllables as de·pres·sion.