depressing

1 of 2

adjective

de·​press·​ing di-ˈpre-siŋ 

dē-

: that depresses

especially : causing emotional depression

a depressing story

depressingly

di-ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

dē-

adverb

depressing

2 of 2

present participle of depress

Synonyms of depressing

Adjective

• bleak
• depressive
• somber
• dark
• lonely
• desolate
• solemn
• darkening
• morbid
• depressed
• cold
• murky
• gray

Examples of depressing in a Sentence

Adjective

This rainy weather is depressing.

He paints a depressing picture of modern life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There will be pockets of opportunities from these old big department stores, which are underinvested and a bit depressing to walk around. — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026

In the wake of a depressing 69-93 season that sputtered out from the get-go, as so many a Royals campaign does, the club promptly made some substantial changes. — Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026

Jeremy Culhane stars as Eric from Legal, a down-on-his-luck man who chimes in on gossip sessions with his coworkers with depressing tidbits from his own life. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2026

It’s been a mixed bag of depressing and good; in the latter category is that my skin has never been better. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1556, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for depressing

• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• distressing
• expressing
• hairdressing
• impressing
• obsessing
• oppressing