as in bleak
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the depressive story about a struggling artist
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of depressive
It is largely characterized by manic episodes (periods of elation and hyperactivity), which are then followed by depressive episodes (sadness and depression).
—
Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In other words, categorizing yourself in relation to others can greatly reduce depressive symptoms.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Both novels feature versions of Toews’s parents—her preternaturally optimistic and resolute mother, Elvira, and her beloved, depressive father, Melvin.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
Season 4 begins with Nora in a depressive spiral, mourning their relationship by endlessly watching a virtual reality fantasy of their wedding.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In other words, categorizing yourself in relation to others can greatly reduce depressive symptoms.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Both novels feature versions of Toews’s parents—her preternaturally optimistic and resolute mother, Elvira, and her beloved, depressive father, Melvin.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
Season 4 begins with Nora in a depressive spiral, mourning their relationship by endlessly watching a virtual reality fantasy of their wedding.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depressive
Adjective
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Yes, there are good reasons to question NASA's long-term plans for the Artemis lunar program—the woeful cost of the Space Launch System rocket, the complexity of new commercial landers, and a bleak budget outlook.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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That's rather bleak, while Charlie Sheen's life has just been bonkers.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His relentless prepackaged positivity — even in the wake of depressing game day results — turned him into something of a punch line.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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The depressing effect of the seasonality is somewhat offset by the ‘5’ effect.—
Bill Sarubbi,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Chapple, the late Queen’s beekeeper, went first to Clarence House and then Buckingham Palace to perform his somber duty of telling the bees, a centuries-old custom of informing the bees when their owner has died.—
Elizabeth Bass Parman,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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News voices in the 1970's tended to be somber, accent-less, and almost exclusively male.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His work in those early days bears little resemblance to the crystalline large-format portraits of lonely American landscapes that would come to define his career.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
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Quarterback is an isolating and lonely position, despite entire infrastructures reverse-engineered in service of those who play it, to say nothing of the elaborate playbooks created for them.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, Lorraine has taught Judy to ward off her frightening visions by using a nursery rhyme, effectively teaching her to suppress her dark side.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The Dolphins wear white jerseys at home for afternoon games, forcing opponents to wear darker colors that absorb more heat.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Silksong is steeped in religious imagery — desolate chapels, ringing church bells, even rosary beads that act as in-game currency.—
Keller Gordon,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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Her haunting soprano ranged from desolate whispers to expansive belts.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of those memories, survivors are left with the morbid archives of loss.—
Seema Jilani
August 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
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There are visual gags — case files scattered around jigsaw puzzle pieces, conversations about blood loss interrupted by Sudoku solving — that insist on finding humor in a pair of old folks taking such morbid extracurricular activities so seriously.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Unemployment has stayed relatively low in part because of dampened demand for workers as well as a depressed supply (people aging out of the workforce as well as reductions in immigrant workers).—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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This time producer Brad Ingelsby tapped Mark Ruffalo as a depressed and traumatized FBI agent leading a task force investigating a series of home invasions targeting drug dens in the area.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Depressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depressive. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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