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View synonyms for

depress

[ dih-pres ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to make sad or gloomy; lower in spirits; deject; dispirit.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. to lower in force, vigor, activity, etc.; weaken; make dull.
  3. to lower in amount or value.

    Synonyms: ,

  4. to put into a lower position:

    to depress the muzzle of a gun.

    Antonyms: ,

  5. to press down.
  6. Music. to lower in pitch.


depress

/ ɪˈɛ /

verb

  1. to lower in spirits; make gloomy; deject
  2. to weaken or lower the force, vigour, or energy of
  3. to lower prices of (securities or a security market)
  4. to press or push down
  5. to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
  6. obsolete.
    to suppress or subjugate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ·i· adjective
  • ·i·i·ٲ noun
  • v·· verb (used with object)
  • un·i· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of depress1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English depressen, from Anglo-French, Old French depresser, from Latin ŧܲ “pressed down” (past participle of ŧ, equivalent to de- de- + -primere, combining form of premere “to press”); pressure
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Word History and Origins

Origin of depress1

C14: from Old French depresser, from Latin ŧ from de- + premere to press 1
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Synonym Study

See oppress.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It’s dinky and depressing and it doesn’t do a thing to make the world a better place.

From

Maybe this would all be too depressing to bear if we didn’t know that the good guys eventually triumph.

From

Grennan said being the victim of an unprovoked attack and hospitalised with a broken jaw while at university was when he first encountered being depressed.

From

Then, when it's time for resurrection, Hadj-Moussa explained, "they 're-animate' by reversing what they did to depress their metabolism, shift back to glucose metabolism, all while elevating levels of antioxidants."

From

As Adam Cormack, from the charity, put it: "This depressing sight is a reminder to all of us that not every ancient tree is in a safe place."

From

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