as in accident
something (as a situation or event) that is depressing that story of drug addiction was a real downer

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downer Arrietty has a bit of a downer episode, after a solid second-place showing last week. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 Amer, who created the series with Ramy auteur Ramy Youssef, spends enough time in this hellish place to make his point about its pointless cruelty but moves on before the new season of Mo becomes an unmitigated downer. Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025 Perhaps part of the problem was the downer premise: a broke Phyllis moves in with her San Francisco in-laws and struggles to find a job following the death of her dermatologist husband. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024 Juror #2, Eastwood’s latest drama (and, given his age, possibly his last), seems for a while to be building toward a characteristically bleak punctuation, yet another classic Clint downer of a dénouement. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for downer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downer
Noun
  • Only two new plants have been started since that accident.
    David Pogue, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The tragic accident over the Potomac River on Jan. 29 was the first major commercial airline accident in 16 years.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In the rush to create newer, faster, more monetizable technologies — and to enable the kind of corporate empires whose chief executives stood beside Donald Trump at his inauguration — privacy and safety regulations seemed like a bore.
    Zeynep Tufekci, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Again, the temperature rose far earlier than expected, and the KTB team was also surprised to find that the rock at this depth was not solid, and large amounts of fluid and gas were pouring into the bore hole to complicate the effort further.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Riders were miked so that viewers could experience all the ups and downs of the day alongside them.
    Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The fan-favorite Frick and Frack duo is reuniting this season after years of ups and downs.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • His birth will be a total bummer and cause the apocalypse.
    Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Similarly, in Lowertown, despite a bunch of restaurants that have closed, which is a bummer, there’s good occupancy in the apartments.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2025

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“Downer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downer. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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