gloomy

UK/ˈɡluːmi//ˈɡlumi/

gloomy adjective: not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.

Adjective

gloomy (comparative gloomier, superlative gloomiest)

Not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.
- The cavern was gloomy.
Synonyms:

dusky, dim, clouded, darksome, adumbral, blear, caliginous, cimmerian, crepuscular, dark
Suffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
- a gloomy temper or countenance
- The report was slightly gloomier than in June, when unemployment rates eased in more than half of all U.S. states for a third straight month and only five states reported jobless rate increases.2010 August 20, Blake Ellis, “Unemployment rates rise in 14 states”, in CNN Money, archived from the original on 04 Oct 2024
Synonyms:

bleak, depressed, dreary, miserable, cheerless, comfortless, dark, morose, depressing, desolate

Noun

gloomy (plural gloomies)

(informal) Someone or something that is gloomy or pessimistic.
- A word, finally, on how to go about this publicity business. If it should prove difficult to announce casts in the dailies, or at least in the weekly gloomies, it could surely be arranged that information be available, as soon as the casts are settled, at the opera house in question.c. 1946–1947, Hans Keller, edited by Christopher Wintle and Alison Garnham, Music and Psychology: From Vienna to London, 1939–52 (The Hans Keller Archive), London: Plumbago Books, published 2003...
- As well, Russians did not use the confusion of Y2K to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, as Internet "gloomies" had cautioned, now wagging their online tails in Internet chat rooms as "pollies" (Pollyannas) rubbed salt in their paranoid wounds.2009, Lawrence R. Samuel, “The Matrix, 1995–”, in Future: A Recent History, Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, →ISBN, pages 178–179

gloomy meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali

gloomy in Hindi

gloomy, melancholy: उदास udās
gloomy: वीरान vīrān

gloomy in Tamil

பொலிவின்றியிருத்தல், மனங்குன்றுதல், மனந்தளர்தல், மந்தாரமான

gloomy in Urdu

gloomy: ویران vīrān

gloomy in Bengali

ক্ষীণালোকিত, হতাশ, বিষন্ন

More languagesFewer languages

gloomy in Malayalam: ഇരുണ്ട, മങ്ങിയ, മ്ലാനമായ, ഖിന്നമായ
gloomy in Kannada: ಕತ್ತಲೆ ಕವಿದ, ಮಬ್ಬು ಮಸುಕಿದ, ಕಳೆಯಿಲ್ಲದ ಮಂಕು ಕವಿದ, ಗೆಲುವಿಲ್ಲದ
gloomy in Nepali: अँध्यारो ãdhyāro
gloomy in Pashto: ترش turš
gloomy in Arabic: كَئِيب kaʔīb, مُوحِش mūḥiš

Examples of gloomy in a sentence

The prisoner lay in shackles in his gloomy cell.
In our "wither the economy" discussion, Zulauf, though gloomy as usual, once again was outgloomed.
Africa’s pockets of wealth also are often buried in gloomy macrostatistics.

All 40 example sentences with gloomy

Synonyms of gloomy

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of gloomy

Forms of gloomy

Adjective
comparative	gloomier
superlative	gloomiest
Noun
plural	gloomies

Origin of gloomy

From gloom + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian glumig (“dark, gloomy”).

Words formed from gloomy

Phrases with gloomy

Words that rhyme with gloomy

5 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about gloomy

What does gloomy mean?: Gloomy means not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.
What is gloomy in Hindi?: Gloomy in Hindi is उदास (udās), वीरान (vīrān). See Gloomy meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is gloomy?: Gloomy can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce gloomy?: Gloomy is pronounced /ˈɡluːmi/ (UK).

Words near gloomy in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-gloomy.ogg.

Cite this entry: “gloomy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gloomy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.