: a despicable or miserable person
Examples of hangdog in a Sentence
Adjective
He came home with a hangdog expression on his face.
“Why do you look so hangdog today?” she asked
Recent Examples on the Web
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2023
The man is Calum (Normal People's Paul Mescal), dangling on the cusp of 32, handsome in a hangdog way, with an arm in a cast and a big smile that can't entirely hide the distress that nips at his joy.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 9 Nov. 2022
Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
With his natural hangdog demeanour and wearing a pair of beach shorts, Burke (currently also seen with Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag) persuasively presents Trigorin as a man who has lived too much in his own head.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
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Adjective
The Movie finds its titular alpha wolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) a teenager no more, but still struggling with the same hangdog loneliness.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2023
The man is Calum (Normal People's Paul Mescal), dangling on the cusp of 32, handsome in a hangdog way, with an arm in a cast and a big smile that can't entirely hide the distress that nips at his joy.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 9 Nov. 2022
Noun
Image Win or lose, exhibitors invariably shake hands with the judge, though their disappointment sometimes manifests itself in the form of slouched shoulders and hangdog expressions.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025
With his natural hangdog demeanour and wearing a pair of beach shorts, Burke (currently also seen with Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag) persuasively presents Trigorin as a man who has lived too much in his own head.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hangdog
Cite this Entry
“Hangdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hangdog. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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