Synonyms for gloom
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Gloominess
gloominess, desolation, despondency, dreariness, sadness, melancholy, dejection, depression, melancholia, dullness, unhappiness, low spirits, somberness US, sombreness UK, sableness, glumness, misery, woe
2. Darkness — darkness, dimness, or obscurity
darkness, murk, shadow, dimness, obscurity, night, shade, tenebrosity
Other
Verb
Definitions
- n. 1
Darkness, dimness, or obscurity.
the gloom of a forest, or of midnight
- n. 2
A depressing, despondent, or melancholic atmosphere.
- v. 1
To look or feel sad, sullen or despondent.
Example sentences
- desolation The desolation left in his wake is staggering.
- darkness Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| gloom | rising | |
| desolation | rising | |
| despondency | steady | |
| dreariness | steady | |
| gloominess | rising | |
| darkness | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- woe1
- 4 letters
- murk1
- 5 letters
- night1, lower2, cloud1, shade1, mourn1
- 6 letters
- shadow2, misery3, sorrow2, grieve1, darken2
- 7 letters
- sadness2, dimness
- 8 letters
- darkness2, dullness2, glumness
- 9 letters
- obscurity4, dejection, dysthymia, sableness
- 10 letters
- depression3, melancholy4, desolation4, cloudiness3, dreariness3, gloominess, somberness, sombreness
- 11 letters
- unhappiness4, melancholia, despondency4, tenebrosity
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (lower2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- pessimisme
- Italiano
- pessimismo
- Deutsch
- Pessimismus