desmond
n. countablen. a person who is very serious, quiet, and often seems sad or worried. You use this word to describe someone who lacks energy or cheerfulness.
n. a person characterized by excessive seriousness, gravity, or melancholy; often implying a lack of vitality or cheerfulness. Archaic and literary in modern usage.
He was a desmond who never smiled.
The old professor was a desmond, preferring silence and books to lively conversation.
In the novel, the protagonist’s desmond demeanor masked a turbulent inner life that only surfaced during moments of extreme crisis.
From Irish Ó Deasmhumhnaigh.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 4, 2026