gloomy

adjective

ˈglü-mē 

gloomier; gloomiest

1

a

: partially or totally dark

especially : dismally and depressingly dark

gloomy weather

b

: having a frowning or scowling appearance : forbidding

a gloomy countenance

c

: low in spirits : melancholy

2

a

: causing gloom : depressing

a gloomy story

a gloomy landscape

b

: lacking in promise or hopefulness : pessimistic

gloomy prophecies

a gloomy future

gloomily

ˈglü-mə-lē 

adverb

gloominess

ˈglü-mē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• black
• bleak
• cheerless
• chill
• Cimmerian
• cloudy
• cold
• comfortless
• dark
• darkening
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• dire
• disconsolate
• dismal
• drear
• dreary
• dreich [chiefly Scottish]
• elegiac
• elegiacal
• forlorn
• funereal
• glum
• godforsaken
• gray
• grey
• lonely
• lonesome
• lugubrious
• miserable
• morbid
• morose
• murky
• plutonian
• saturnine
• sepulchral
• solemn
• somber
• sombre
• sullen
• sunless
• tenebrific
• tenebrous
• wretched

Choose the Right Synonym for gloomy

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.

sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Examples of gloomy in a Sentence

We've had a week of gloomy weather.

The news continues to be gloomy.

She doesn't agree with their gloomy economic forecasts.

His book paints a gloomy picture of the prospects for peace.

I've never seen you looking so gloomy.

Recent Examples on the Web

But while risks abound, the situation is probably not as gloomy as the model implies. —Courtenay Brown, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025

The treasurer also sits on the board of PERA, which faces uncertainty amid gloomy projections and other budget-tightening proposals. —Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2025

Indian Motorcycle Continuing the gloomy projections, Polaris predicts that sales in 2025 will be between 1% and 4% lower than in 2024. —New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2025

But there were also some unexpectedly bright hues like dusty blue, fiery red, and vibrant chartreuse that lit up the otherwise gloomy New York winter. —Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see gloom entry 1

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gloomy

• gloomy Gus

Rhymes for gloomy

• roomy