Meanings
comparative more down in the dumps · superlative most down in the dumps · alternative in the dumps
- idiomaticSad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
"You've got down in the dumps and can't see what's sensible and to your own advantage."
1886, Edward Payson Roe, chapter 2, in He Fell In Love With His Wife1 more example
"Being out of work sometimes makes you feel down in the dumps and being out here with my buddies helps."
2009 February 2, Brian McVicar, “Some in Mich. turn to ice fishing as economy dives”, in chicagotribune.com, retrieved 03 Feb 2009Synonyms: crestfallen, listless, low-spirited, atrabiliary, atrabilious, blitheless, dispirited, blue
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
Origin
From dump “a dull, gloomy state of the mind.”
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish alakuloinen, masentunut
- alakuloinensad
- masentunutsad
Polish zdołowany
- zdołowanysad
Russian как в во́ду опущенный
- как в во́ду опущенный (kak v vódu opuščennyj)sad
Spanish en horas bajas, de bajón
- en horas bajassad
- de bajónsad
- murriosad
Cite this entry
down in the dumps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20in%20the%20dumps
“down in the dumps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20in%20the%20dumps. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “down in the dumps,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20in%20the%20dumps.
Source: down in the dumps on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.