Synonyms of depressing

depressing 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈpre-siŋ 

1

as in bleak

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

the depressing atmosphere of the empty mall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bleak
• depressive
• somber
• dark
• lonely
• desolate
• solemn
• darkening
• morbid
• depressed
• cold
• murky
• gray
• miserable
• lonesome
• sad
• gloomy
• morose
• blue
• black
• dismal
• cheerless
• funereal
• wretched
• dreary
• chill
• glum
• dire
• lugubrious
• disconsolate
• oppressive
• sullen
• elegiac
• melancholy
• forlorn
• cloudy
• drear
• saturnine
• comfortless
• sepulchral
• unhappy
• discouraging
• desperate
• godforsaken
• dreich
• dispiriting
• disheartening
• distressing
• negative
• dull
• hopeless
• melancholic
• upsetting
• grim
• tenebrous
• dismaying
• plutonian
• mournful
• dim
• dejected
• distressful
• woebegone
• sunless
• pessimistic
• tenebrific
• despondent
• woeful
• mirthless
• Cimmerian
• low
• inconsolable
• menacing
• sorrowful
• droopy
• discomfiting
• lamentable
• down
• drab
• hangdog
• dour
• plaintive
• threatening
• colorless
• lowering
• lowery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• comforting
• bright
• cheerful
• cheery
• friendly
• gay
• festive
• joyous
• cordial
• sunshiny
• joyful
• buoyant
• jolly
• gay
• merry
• optimistic
• blithe
• encouraging
• mirthful
• heartwarming
• hopeful
• cheering
• blithesome
• lighthearted
• jocund
• lightsome

2

as in sad

causing unhappiness

more depressing news about the famine overseas

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sad
• pathetic
• heartbreaking
• melancholy
• unfortunate
• mournful
• disturbing
• saddening
• tearful
• dismal
• dreary
• drear
• teary
• sorry
• heartrending
• distressful
• distressing
• deplorable
• lamentable
• disquieting
• moving
• discomforting
• discouraging
• perturbing
• touching
• dispiriting
• woeful
• disheartening
• poignant
• affecting
• grievous
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• glad
• cheery
• inspiring
• uplifting
• stimulating
• heartening
• pleasant
• stirring
• delightful
• enjoyable
• satisfying
• welcome
• cheering
• agreeable
• pleasurable
• pleasing
• heartwarming
• exhilarating
• thrilling

depressing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of depress

1

as in saddening

to make sad

the thought of once again failing the bar exam depressed me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• saddening
• troubling
• worrying
• oppressing
• torturing
• burdening
• weighing down
• distressing
• dejecting
• concerning
• bumming (out)
• disturbing
• getting down
• bothering
• upsetting
• disheartening
• dispiriting
• discouraging
• tormenting
• ailing
• dashing
• unsettling
• afflicting
• daunting
• unnerving
• disquieting
• demoralizing
• dismaying
• discomforting
• perturbing
• agitating
• undoing
• exercising
• freaking (out)
• unhinging
• discomposing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exciting
• rejoicing
• comforting
• brightening
• invigorating
• reassuring
• lightening
• cheering (up)
• soothing
• stimulating
• consoling
• enlivening
• assuring
• animating
• inspiring
• encouraging
• exhilarating
• buoying
• gladdening
• gratifying
• uplifting
• pleasing
• solacing
• lifting
• elating
• elevating
• delighting
• heartening
• boosting

2

as in throwing

to cause to fall intentionally or unintentionally

construction workers depressed the roadbed in order to make way for an overpass

Synonyms & Similar Words

• throwing
• lowering
• dropping
• throwing down
• flattening
• fumbling
• sinking
• toppling
• striking down
• knocking down
• knocking over
• leveling
• bungling
• flooring
• plopping
• plunking down
• submerging
• immersing
• foozling
• bobbling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raising
• lifting
• picking up

3

as in reducing

to diminish the price or value of

the glut of wheat on the market has depressed that commodity for most of the past year

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reducing
• lowering
• sinking
• attenuating
• devaluing
• shrinking
• devaluating
• depreciating
• writing down
• cheapening
• downgrading
• writing off
• marking down
• breaking
• debasing
• demonetizing
• deflating
• undervaluing
• downsizing
• dwindling
• compressing
• underrating
• underestimating
• lessening
• moderating
• contracting
• abridging
• underpricing
• de-escalating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enhancing
• appreciating
• upgrading
• inflating
• marking up
• bloating
• blowing up
• increasing
• adding
• swelling
• escalating
• expanding
• multiplying
• augmenting
• enlarging
• raising
• amplifying
• boosting
• extending
• overestimating
• compounding
• maximizing
• heightening
• dilating
• overrating
• overvaluing
• overpricing
• aggrandizing
• ballooning
• upping

4

as in pressing

to push steadily against with some force

depressed the lever to start the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pressing
• shoving
• compressing
• bearing (down on)
• weighing (on or upon)
• compelling
• squeezing
• punching
• forcing
• pressuring
• squashing
• mashing
• leaning (on or against)
• squooshing
• squishing
• thrusting
• propelling
• constricting
• condensing
• driving
• crushing
• muscling
• wedging
• compacting
• contracting
• jamming
• wringing
• jam-packing
• packing
• cramming
• scrunching
• stuffing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of depressing

Adjective

And his film, at once proudly unlikable and meticulously realized, is both a daring display of craft and a rude sign of life—which is to say, the opposite of depressing. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Having too many Titans on your fantasy roster is just depressing. — Gary Davenport, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Verb

Also helping is Kevin Warsh, the new Federal Reserve head, who is working to get our central bank focused on currency stability as the way to fight inflation, rather than depressing economic activity. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

The high-pressure system that’s causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particulate matter, pushing it closer to the ground. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026