depression

noun de·pres·sion \di-ˈpre-shən, dē-\

: a state of feeling sad

: a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way

: a period of time in which there is little economic activity and many people do not have jobs

Full Definition of DEPRESSION

a : the angular distance of a celestial object below the horizon

b : the size of an angle of depression

: an act of depressing or a state of being depressed: as

a : a pressing down : lowering

b (1) : a state of feeling sad : dejection (2) : a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies

c (1) : a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force (2) : a lowering of vitality or functional activity

: a depressed place or part : hollow

: low 1b

: a period of low general economic activity marked especially by rising levels of unemployment

See depression defined for English-language learners

See depression defined for kids

First Known Use of DEPRESSION

14th century

Related to DEPRESSION

Synonyms: recession, slump

Antonyms: boom

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with DEPRESSION

accession, aggression, bull session, compression, concession, confession, digression, discretion, egression, expression, impression, ingression, jam session, obsession, oppression, precession, procession, profession, progression, recession, refreshen, regression, repression, secession, skull session, succession, suppression, transgression

DEPRESSION Defined for Kids

depression

noun de·pres·sion \di-ˈpre-shən\

Definition of DEPRESSION for Kids

: an act of pressing down <depression of the brake pedal>

: a hollow place or part <My foot made a depression in the sand.>

: a feeling of sadness <Your support eased my depression.>

: a period of low activity in business with much unemployment

Medical Dictionary

depression

noun de·pres·sion \di-ˈpresh-ən\

Medical Definition of DEPRESSION

: a displacement downward or inward <depression of the jaw>

: an act of depressing or a state of being depressed: as a (1) : a state of feeling sad (2) : a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide b : a reduction in functional activity, amount, quality, or force <depression of autonomic function> <depression of red blood cells>