How to use gloomy in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun

Gloomy means not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening. Example: “The cavern was gloomy.”

Examples of gloomy by meaning

adjectiveNot very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.

The cavern was gloomy.

adjectiveSuffering 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
“The outlook is less gloomy than in our October forecast, and could represent a turning point, with growth bottoming out and inflation declining,” Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the IMF’s director of research, wrote in a blog post.2023 January 30, Julia Horowitz, “Global economic outlook slightly ‘less gloomy,’ Europe ekes out growth”, in CNN

nounSomeone or something that is gloomy or pessimistic.

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...
Really serious Goths, who wear black clothing and spectral makeup, are known as "gloomies," or so Owen tells me.2012, Tetman Callis, High Street: A Memoir: Lawyers, Guns & Money in a Stoner’s New Mexico, San Francisco, Calif.: Outpost 19, →ISBN, page...
After all the joy with my two boys in our family, I was to be left alone with the two gloomies.2020 May 22, Wynter Rose Thorne, “And Then It Happened …”, in The Passions of Rosie, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN

More sentences with gloomy

The prisoner lay in shackles in his gloomy cell.From the entry shackle
In our "wither the economy" discussion, Zulauf, though gloomy as usual, once again was outgloomed.2012, Peter Lynch, Beating the Street, page 43. From the entry outgloom
Africa’s pockets of wealth also are often buried in gloomy macrostatistics.2009 October 5, Robb Young, “African Wealth and African Style at a Glamorous Juncture”, in New York Times. From the entry macrostatistics
If anything can keep away the gloomies and bad luck, this will.2004 August, Flo Fitzpatrick, chapter 29, in Ghost of a Chance, New York, N.Y.: Zebra Books, →ISBN, page 287. From the entry gloomies
As I shopped in the market last week—the fromagier asked why I looked so gloomy.1993, Jacqueline Deval, Reckless Appetites: A Culinary Romance, The Ecco Press, →ISBN, page 41. From the entry fromagier
This gloomy view of the capitalistic production system envisioned ceaseless warfare among the major powers.1957, The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941. From the entry capitalistic
The great room, ordinarily aroar with life, was still and gloomy as a tomb.1903, Jack London, “Too Much Gold”, in The Faith of Men, and Other Stories, New York: Macmillan, page 105. From the entry aroar
That just leaves the challenge of bridging the gap between today's rather gloomy situation and tomorrow's sunlit uplands.2023 August 9, Philip Haigh, “Get the product and price right to tempt back commuters”, in RAIL, number 989, page 54. From the entry sunlit uplands
Americans are gloomy about the state of the economy.2023 September 7, “The pandemic has broken a closely followed survey of sentiment”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN…. From the entry vibecession
Why are you such a gloomy goose?2021, A. K. Pittman, Pudge and Prejudice, Tyndale House Publishers, →ISBN, pages 164–165. From the entry gloomy goose
I didn't mean to be such a gloomy goose.1984, Luanne Walden, Forbidden Flame, Kensington Publishing Corporation, →ISBN, page 490. From the entry gloomy goose
To tell the truth the prospect rather quailed him – wandering about in the gloomy corridors of a nunnery.1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia: or, Buried Alive: A Novel, London; Boston, Mass.: Faber and Faber; republished in The Avignon Quintet…. From the entry quail
Don't get the gloomies and be a martyr, please.1964, H[erbert] E[rnest] Bates, chapter 15, in A Moment in Time, London: Pollinger in Print, published 2006, →ISBN, page 168. From the entry gloomies
The gloomy contentions of “hairshirt economists” who want more public and less private spending were assailed today by Robert W.1960 October 13, “‘Hairshirt Economists’ Scored For Pushing Public Spending”, in The New York Times, page 51. From the entry hairshirt
Ahead of us the lowering smoke-screen of Leeds and her gloomy satellites hung like an incubus over the land.1949 March and April, F. G. Roe, “I Saw Three Englands–2”, in Railway Magazine, page 82. From the entry incubus
'One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments,' said the Assistant Predestinator, citing a piece of homely hypnopædic wisdom.1932, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, London: Chatto & Windus. From the entry hypnopaedic
He displays a certain gloomy satisfaction that maddens me.1924, Agatha Christie, The Man in the Brown Suit. From the entry Job's comforter
It broke in upon and dispersed his gloomy thoughts, and served as a balm to his lacerated heart.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 41. From the entry lacerated
Ross watched her deteriorate in gloomy and unreproving silence.1906, David Graham Phillips, The Second Generation. From the entry unreproving
Its just so weak and defeatist in its Nature, how can anyone hear all the gloomy sayings and go; "wew, this sure sounds awesome".2017 December 26, anonymous author, 4chan, /int/. From the entry larper
This slightly gloomy style of masculine has its origins in Dior's great Fahrenheit, now unfortunately hobbled by European Union restrictions on octyne esters.2010, Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez, “Chamade pour Homme”, in Perfumes: The A–Z Guide, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 115. From the entry octyne
Tucked inconspicuously away behind the shoal of darkness that hung in those gloomy corners, the silhouetted enigma was ogling him in halcyon silence.2007, Ramon Elmerito Gatchalian, A Supernatural Threat, page 9. From the entry enigma
One must wonder how gloomy a game can really be when you trash oversized ice-cream trucks and a gargantuan man holding two large tires.2001 July, Kraig Kujawa, “Twisted Metal: Black”, in Electronic Gaming Monthly, number 14.07, page 68. From the entry ice-cream truck
Otto's become an auto-antisemite, refuses to enter a tavern or a coffee house and walks around pale, tormented, and gloomy like a Jesuit priest.1987, Max Reinhardt Archive, State University of New York at Binghamton (publisher), Modern International Drama, volumes 21-23, page 68. From the entry auto-antisemite
Thomas short, round and tubby with the look of a naughty cherub, Campbell tall, saturnic and inclined to look gloomy under his wide fawn sombrero.1965, Time & Tide, volume 46, page 21. From the entry saturnic
But of those who had defended through the gloomy sorceled night, there remained men enough to count on the fingers of two hands only.1949 July, Richard S. Shaver, “Exiles of the Elfmounds”, in Amazing Stories, volume 23, number 7, page 23. From the entry sorceled
In comfortless camps, in sweltering offices, in gloomy dakbungalows smelling of dust and earth-oil, they earn, perhaps, the right to be a little disagreeable.1934, George Orwell, chapter 2, in Burmese Days. From the entry dak bungalow
She found its gloomy nineteenth-century façade, black with the smuts of ninety years, a little daunting, and mounted its broad steps in some trepidation.1915, Edgar Jepson, “The Reluctant Duke”, in Happy Pollyooly: The Rich Little Poor Girl, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company…. From the entry smut
There in the road, beneath the gloomy Victorian façades, bare oaks, and sagging telephone lines, two squirrels lay dead, side by side—an apparent hit and run.2014 July 23, Jamie Allen, “Consider the Squirrel”, in Oxford American, number 85. From the entry sciuricide
He rails, he piles on the abuse, he calumnies without any sense of decency or restraint, and his gloomy character makes him see everything as black.2008, Paul-Henri Thiry; Baron d’Holbach, “Bergier’s Refutation”, in David Holohan, transl., Christianity Unveiled (Rescued from Obscurity…. From the entry calumny
Grim and gloomy Protestantism has never been exactly a bundle of laughs but lately humour in the church, particularly the evangelical wing, seems to be undergoing a revival.1991, Third Way Dec 1991 - Jan 1992 - Page 20. From the entry bundle of laughs
Some of his gloomy judgments have tempted critics to the conclusion that Kazantzakis was even more nihilistic than Nietzsche, and this book can support that view.1965 August 13, “Books: Last Testament”, in Time, archived from the original on 17 Jan 2025. From the entry nihilistic
Looking out at the gloomy silent withered forests, Bond thought that nothing could be living in them except bats and scorpions, horned toads and black widow spiders.1954, Ian Fleming, “The Everglades”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 123. From the entry black widow

Meaning of gloomy

adjective Not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.
adjective Suffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
noun Someone or something that is gloomy or pessimistic.

Full definition of gloomy

Questions about gloomy in a sentence

How do you use gloomy in a sentence?: Gloomy is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “The cavern was gloomy.”
What is a short sentence with gloomy?: “The cavern was gloomy.”
What does gloomy mean?: Gloomy means not very illuminated; dim because of darkness, especially when appearing depressing or frightening.

Adapted from Wiktionary: gloomy (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use gloomy in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/gloomy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.