gloom
1 of 2verb
ˈglüm 
gloomed; glooming; glooms
intransitive verb
1
: to look, feel, or act sullen or despondent
2
: to be or become overcast
3
: to loom up dimly
transitive verb
: to make dark, murky, or somber : make gloomy
gloom
2 of 2noun
1
a
: partial or total darkness
b
: a dark or shadowy place
2
a
: lowness of spirits : dejection
b
: an atmosphere of despondency
a gloom fell over the household
Synonyms
Verb
- frown
- glare
- glower
- lower
- lour
- scowl
Noun
- blue devils
- blues
- dejection
- depression
- desolation
- despond
- despondence
- despondency
- disconsolateness
- dispiritedness
- doldrums
- dolefulness
- downheartedness
- dreariness
- dumps
- forlornness
- gloominess
- glumness
- heartsickness
- joylessness
- melancholy
- miserableness
- mopes
- mournfulness
- oppression
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- unhappiness
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb we just sat there, glooming, as we waited and waited for our dinners to arrive he continued to gloom over the fact that he had been passed over for promotion to district manager Noun The painting captures the gloom of a foggy night. He walked away, disappearing into the gloom. the gloom of the forest He was often subject to periods of gloom. A cloud of gloom has descended over the city. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2022 Their allusion to the night refers not to gloom but to evening intimacies, the pianist and scholar Kenneth Hamilton said in an interview. New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021 The more doom and gloom the policy makers incorporate into their scenarios before setting market prices and rules, the safer the grid can be. Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021 Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 But alongside the stories of doom and gloom, the production of feature films, particularly of the arthouse variety, is booming. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022 However, a three-point Buffalo victory won’t bring doom and gloom. Xl Media, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2022 However, hidden among all that doom and gloom are the organizations who are succeeding. Ron Schmelzer, Forbes, 14 Aug. 2022 After months of gloom, Democrats may be overconfident now, wrote Jeffrey Rosen and Kevin Kosar. Richard Galant, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 Two months ago, most Democrats were locked in a fortress of gloom. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2022 There’s a lightness to these Mets, a real reboot after seasons of gloom. Jason Gay, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 Hiring remains healthy despite mounting signs of economic gloom. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 See More
Verb
Our imperviousness to gloom is our own peculiar virtue. Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2022 Their allusion to the night refers not to gloom but to evening intimacies, the pianist and scholar Kenneth Hamilton said in an interview. New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021 The more doom and gloom the policy makers incorporate into their scenarios before setting market prices and rules, the safer the grid can be. Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021 Noun
In more doom and gloom on Wall Street, pessimistic fund managers are selling stocks and piling into cash, according to a Bank of America survey published Tuesday. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 But alongside the stories of doom and gloom, the production of feature films, particularly of the arthouse variety, is booming. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022 However, a three-point Buffalo victory won’t bring doom and gloom. Xl Media, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2022 However, hidden among all that doom and gloom are the organizations who are succeeding. Ron Schmelzer, Forbes, 14 Aug. 2022 After months of gloom, Democrats may be overconfident now, wrote Jeffrey Rosen and Kevin Kosar. Richard Galant, CNN, 28 Aug. 2022 Two months ago, most Democrats were locked in a fortress of gloom. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2022 There’s a lightness to these Mets, a real reboot after seasons of gloom. Jason Gay, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 Hiring remains healthy despite mounting signs of economic gloom. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 6 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English gloumen
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing gloom
Kids Definition
gloom
noun
ˈglüm
1
: partial or complete darkness
2
: a sad mood
gloomed
verb
1
as in glared
to look with anger or disapproval we just sat there, glooming, as we waited and waited for our dinners to arrive Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- glared
- stared
- scowled
- frowned
- gazed
- glowered
- loured
- gaped
- lowered
- sneered
- sulked
- grimaced
- looked daggers
- stared daggers
- pouted
- snarled
- ogled
- sniggered
- growled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- smiled
- grinned
- beamed
2
as in darkened
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look he continued to gloom over the fact that he had been passed over for promotion to district manager Synonyms & Similar Words
- darkened
- frowned
- glowered
- loured
- stared
- scowled
- raged
- brooded
- glared
- lowered
- pouted
- sulked
- angered
- fumed
- petted
- threatened
- steamed
- bristled
- menaced
- intimidated
- stormed
- moped
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- brightened
- lightened
- cheered (up)
- perked (up)