adj

depressing

dih-PREH-sihng

adj

Making someone feel sad or discouraged.

"It was a depressing sight — the whole street was boarded up."

"Reading the news lately can feel pretty depressing."

How to Use Depressing

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomething that causes sadness or low spirits in the people experiencing it.

Common mistake

"Depressing" describes what causes the feeling; "depressed" describes the person who has the feeling.

Easily confused with

depressed →

Common pairings

depressing news depressing thought depressing statistic

more depressing comparative, most depressing superlative

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It was a _____ sight — the whole street was boarded up.

grim

angry hard eerie stern savage obstinate relentless grim

Messing Lessing blessing dressing pressing guessing assessing caressing processing expressing addressing witnessing

grim angry hard eerie stern savage obstinate relentless