1
as in bowed
directed down her downcast gaze made us realize that she was shy

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2
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness I'm always a little downcast on rainy days

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of downcast She’s a housewife, always a bit downcast, or least quiet and reserved. Ben Croll, Variety, 16 Jan. 2023 In one video, irate workers surrounded a silent, downcast manager in a conference room to voice grievances and question their Covid test results. Fortune, 23 Nov. 2022 In one video, irate workers surrounded a silent, downcast manager in a conference room to voice grievances and question their COVID test results. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Nov. 2022 On Tuesday morning, Buster, wearing a downcast expression, pulled up in his gray GMC Yukon outside the Georgia apartment, then carried a basket of laundry inside before leaving. Fox News, 14 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for downcast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downcast
Adjective
  • The composer also added synths to his orchestral score, as well as bowed metal, where a violin bow is rubbed against metal instruments like a cowbell or a Vibraphone, for when Roz has a particularly intense feeling.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Jeremy Strong forwent a classic suit and tie in favor of a bowed necktie, giving his tailored look the perfect dash of whimsy.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 June 2024
Adjective
  • Swelling in the hands and feet, getting sick frequently, feeling depressed, or having wounds that are slow to heal.
    Lorena Meouchi, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The photographer asked me to act sad and depressed, to stop smiling.
    Gaylyn Henderson, MPH, Health, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The Atlanta Fed model points to a contraction in economic activity in the first quarter, which is probably overstated because much of that downward estimate comes from a marked increase in imports to avoid future tariffs.
    Bill Stone, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Asian stocks follow Wall Street downward Asia-Pacific stocks mostly fell Friday.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.
    Rachel Ng, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite that success, Willard was unhappy with the program’s financial commitments.
    Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The extra time will presumably be used to fix whatever about the season executives are unhappy with.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In the original visual, the Grammy winner plays a heartbroken character named Peaches who has all traces of her ex wiped from her hippocampus, an homage to Michel Gondry’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Seven Oaks parents ‘heartbroken’ Five Seven Oaks parents reached out to the Statesman to express disappointment with the removal of the bulletin board.
    Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Many parents, in fact, report that the worst-case scenario is not when your whole family is ill but when the adults are miserable and the under-six cohort feels just fine.
    Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Scratching will just make your rash worse and your life more miserable.
    Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Still, although Lund isn’t going for any major tear-jerking moments, his movie invokes the melancholy sense of something important passing into the mists.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Its melancholy lyrics centered around a Greek myth in which the satyr, Marsyas, challenges the god Apollo to a music contest, and for his hubris, ends up skinned alive.
    Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Downcast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downcast. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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