ENGLISH
REFERENCE

depressing

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //dɪˈpɹɛsɪŋ// UK //dɪpɹˈɛsɪŋ// de·press·ing General-service

adj. making you feel very sad and without hope for the future. You use this to describe things like bad news, grey weather, or sad movies.

adj. causing or resulting in a state of low spirits, sadness, or lack of hope. This participial adjective describes the external stimulus rather than the internal feeling of the person.


SIMPLE

The news about the factory closing is very depressing.

CONTEXTUAL

It was a depressing winter afternoon with grey skies and constant rain that kept everyone indoors.

COMPLEX

The documentary offers a depressing look at the environmental damage caused by decades of unregulated industrial growth in the region.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Commonly modifies nouns like 'news', 'thought', or 'weather'; distinct from 'depressed', which describes the person's internal state.

Pitfall

I feel very depressing today.I feel very depressed today.Learners often confuse the -ing form (the cause) with the -ed form (the feeling). Use 'depressing' for the situation and 'depressed' for the person.

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