depression

noun

di-ˈpre-shən How to pronounce depression (audio)
Definition of depressionnext
1
as in recession
a period of decreased economic activity during the 1930s the U.S. suffered a great depression

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2
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits she called her friend to see if a sympathetic ear would relieve his depression

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3
as in hole
a sunken area forming a separate space the water generally collects in the patchwork of depressions in the city plaza

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4
as in decrease
the amount by which something is lessened a depression in the number of new homes being built

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of depression Columbia University researchers found in a 2005 study that children from upper-class families can exhibit elevated likelihoods of substance use, anxiety, and depression in part thanks to excessive pressures to achieve and isolation from parents. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026 Still in the developing stages are a pair of tropical waves in the central and eastern tropical Atlantic, both now forecast to form into at least a tropical depression. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026 The doctors often dismissed her symptoms as anxiety or depression, Newman, 57, said. — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026 The jury specifically found Meta and YouTube's apps -- specifically design features like auto scrolling, recommendation algorithms and notifications -- led the woman, then a teenager, to develop anxiety and depression. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for depression
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depression
  1. recession
  2. sadness
  3. hole
  4. decrease
  5. slump
  6. melancholy
  7. pit
  8. reduction
Noun
  • The recession caused by the Covid pandemic led to a new round of cuts to public colleges and universities, the CBPP found.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The global economy has so far avoided the kind of recession that many past energy shocks produced.
    — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of recession
Noun
  • The researchers also detected differences in the brain activity associated with faces showing fear versus anger or sadness.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Gastélum’s last posts on Instagram and TikTok have thousands of comments ranging from sadness to disbelief.
    — Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Place them behind the refrigerator and stove, under kitchen and bathroom sinks near pipe entry holes, and in the back corners of pantry shelves.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 16 Aug. 2026
  • While the district took a series of cost-cutting steps — including freezing spending on supplies, hiring and most new contracts, as well as laying off employees — successive budget updates showed the financial hole continuing to deepen.
    — Chaewon Chung August 16, Sacbee.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • Most towns saw a decrease in Democratic turnout compared to 2018, but towns with competitive Congressional or state Democratic primaries were more likely to see an increase.
    — Angela Eichhorst, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Despite police data that shows a sustained decrease in CTA crime, the agency continues to take heat on safety.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of decrease
Noun
  • Bumble and competitor Tinder, owned by Match Group, have reported consecutive declining rates of paying users, revenue and stock slumps in recent years.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Short sellers betting against SpaceX are rapidly retreating from the trade, just as the newly public stock rebounds from its post-IPO slump.
    — Yun Li, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of slump
Noun
  • Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.
    — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026
  • Don Hertzfeldt occasionally comes to mind for a similarly pervasive mood of questioning, philosophical melancholy.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • As Rhaenyra slowly descends into a pit of despair and desperation, Daemon and his armies run into some snags on their assault of Tumbleton thanks to the various tricks Lord Ormund has up his sleeves.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder and former chief scientist of OpenAI, once gathered his colleagues around a fire pit at a company offsite.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of pit
Noun
  • Financial test The reduction highlights the financial challenges behind the AI infrastructure boom.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
  • It, and three other airline stocks, were sold by Warren Buffett at a loss in the first quarter of 2020 amid a massive reduction in air travel as the COVID-19 pandemic was gaining steam.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of reduction

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depressing
depression
depressions
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Cite this Entry

“Depression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depression. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on depression

Nglish: Translation of depression for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about depression

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