1
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness has been gloomy ever since the breakup with his girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gloomy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gloomy are bleak, cheerless, desolate, dismal, and dreary. While all these words mean "devoid of cheer or comfort," gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

When might bleak be a better fit than gloomy?

While in some cases nearly identical to gloomy, bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

When would cheerless be a good substitute for gloomy?

In some situations, the words cheerless and gloomy are roughly equivalent. However, cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

When is desolate a more appropriate choice than gloomy?

The meanings of desolate and gloomy largely overlap; however, desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

When can dismal be used instead of gloomy?

While the synonyms dismal and gloomy are close in meaning, dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

Where would dreary be a reasonable alternative to gloomy?

The words dreary and gloomy can be used in similar contexts, but dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

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 gloomy This is a pretty gloomy episode of The Bachelor, especially for Fantasy Suites Week! Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025 The gloomy earnings outlook comes after a wide array of other retailers gave weak forecasts for the current quarter or the year ahead amid concerns about sliding consumer confidence and the impact tariffs and inflation could have on spending. Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025 At the same time, Yoon — who became CEO of CJ ENM last year after serving as boss of CJ ENM’s Commerce Division for two years — remains cautious over the gloomy outlook in the Korean entertainment industry. Sara Merican, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025 But Cornejo’s music comes haloed with a gloomier, cooler quality. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gloomy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gloomy
Adjective
  • The coming-of-age story finds a new generation of young women in Gilead, grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.
    Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.
    Rachel Ng, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Among the greater Eilish team, the sentiment is that of a somber parting, but there remains great respect and appreciation for the tremendous successes, milestones and memories shared with Rukasin and Goodman.
    Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The Opening Day festivities in the Bronx took on a somber tone Thursday as the Yankees honored the late son of former outfielder Brett Gardner.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite that success, Willard was unhappy with the program’s financial commitments.
    Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The extra time will presumably be used to fix whatever about the season executives are unhappy with.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Its cap is a shriveled mass of brown folds, darker than the caramel hue of the true morel.
    Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The couple even hires a nanny to care for the doll but shortly after her arrival, strange occurrences begin leading them down a dark path.
    Keith Langston, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The truth is more depressing: This show is bad in the usual manner of reality television.
    Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
  • That wasn’t even the most depressing of Vlasic’s quotes.
    Scott Powers, The Athletic, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Swelling in the hands and feet, getting sick frequently, feeling depressed, or having wounds that are slow to heal.
    Lorena Meouchi, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The photographer asked me to act sad and depressed, to stop smiling.
    Gaylyn Henderson, MPH, Health, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • From the murky swamp to the kingdom of Duloc, Shrek has captured hearts with its wit, adventures and hilarious dialogue.
    Jane LaCroix, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The charm offensive contrasted with DOGE's murky blitz through the federal government in the last two months, which has resulted in mass layoffs and entire agencies being effectively shuttered.
    Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gloomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gloomy. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gloomy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!