hangdog

adjective

ˈhaŋ-ˌdȯg How to pronounce hangdog (audio)
Definition of hangdognext
as in sad
feeling unhappiness "Why do you look so hangdog today?" she asked

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hangdog His Mickey is pleasantly mumbly, with a hangdog mien that’s often crosscut with a don’t-underestimate-me swagger. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2022 Vic accepts his highly public and private humiliation with hangdog equanimity. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Mar. 2022 Segel earns some empathy as a hangdog Everyman, though his backstory remains such a deliberate blank that any insight is mostly gleaned from his blundering missteps and low-simmering misery. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022 Another slip here is the casting of Effros in the lead role of Martin, a hangdog techie who travels from New York to Cape Cod to settle the estate of his late, estranged dad, Kenneth. — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hangdog
  1. sad
  2. depressed
  3. unhappy
  4. heartbroken
  5. miserable
  6. melancholy
  7. bad
  8. sorry
Adjective
  • That might also explain the movie’s attempts to supercharge its few action sequences, as if the filmmakers realized belatedly that a sad book without much incident wasn’t exactly prime summer studio release fodder.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Obviously, a really sad story and hard to listen to at times.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Traffic through the strait is beginning to increase, but remains sharply depressed.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Bessent, for one, said a key reason he got involved in politics was to help tackle deficits running at a pace unprecedented for times outside of major wars, pandemics or depressed job markets.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • Garcia and fellow Democrats are mindful of what’s driving unhappy voters who face a vexing mix of inflation and weak economic growth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes kids performing things on TV look unhappy or awkward, but this girl seems to genuinely enjoy singing while her dad plays guitar.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • The mysterious death of a missing New York City grandmother whose body was found in a drainage ditch outside a Las Vegas airport has left her family with more questions than answers, heartbroken relatives said Saturday.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Shuter also revealed that Ragland is heartbroken at the thought of her daughter being so far away.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • The loss of cultural titans Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Peter Cullen, and Yayoi Kusama sent the week in a miserable direction.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Making someone miserable with a forty-one-page application does not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of miserable
Adjective
  • On the page, Hig’s first-person descriptions of his everyday adventures, and of the waning natural world around him, had an honest, melancholy soul to them.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a gravity, even a melancholy to her Mary Stone, which drew on Fabares’ ability to project a genuine inner life into the least promising scenarios.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of melancholy
Adjective
  • Poor Anton has been left out of the drama all day, an effort by Billie and Samir to prevent an already bad futzing from escalating to something severe, and that’s never where Anton likes to be.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Although rarely seen, its reemergence earlier this summer is a signal of how bad the region’s ongoing drought has gotten, as well as a warning for the difficult months ahead.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • López, who has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, wanted to find a way to keep busy instead of feeling sorry for himself.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Luwi felt sorry that Ivan hadn’t learned to speak English better.
    — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of sorry

Browse Nearby Words

hang back
hangdog
hanger-on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hangdog. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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