English Explanatory Dictionary

gloom

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Darkness, dimness, or obscurity.
  2. A depressing, despondent, or melancholic atmosphere.
  3. Cloudiness or heaviness of mind; melancholy; aspect of sorrow; low spirits; dullness.
  4. A drying oven used in gunpowder manufacture.
verb
  1. To be dark or gloomy.
  2. To look or feel sad, sullen or despondent.
  3. To render gloomy or dark; to obscure; to darken.
  4. To fill with gloom; to make sad, dismal, or sullen.
  5. To shine or appear obscurely or imperfectly; to glimmer.

Pronunciation

/ɡluːm/ /ɡlum/ En-us-gloom.ogg

Word forms

gloom glooms glooming gloomed

Etymology

From Middle English *gloom, *glom, from Old English glōm (“gloaming, twilight, darkness”), from Proto-West Germanic *glōm, from Proto-Germanic *glōmaz (“gleam, shimmer, sheen”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). The English word is cognate with Norwegian glom (“transparent membrane”), Scots gloam (“twilight; faint light; dull gleam”).

Synonyms

grieve mourn aggrieve besorrow condole darken engrieve erme gloom grieven bleed lament moan remorse repent regret rue sigh sorrow wayment yearn

Related words

gloam

Derived words

begloom doom and gloom engloom gloomcore gloomful gloomies gloomily gloomish gloomleader gloomless gloomsome gloomster gloomth gloomward gloomy June gloom outgloom overgloom semigloom undergloom ungloomed
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