down in the dumps
5
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
deprimido
- After losing her job, she felt really down in the dumps for a while.
- feel down in the dumps
- really down in the dumps
- still down in the dumps
I know that I'm like in this video and kind of down in the dumps and not my usual self, but I'm sick.
- I know that I'm like in this video and kind of down in the dumps and not my usual self, but I'm sick.
- But then I started getting a lot of requests for some motivational, inspirational speaking because people were down in the dumps.
- But last year I was down in the dumps because I think I may have told you some stories about my friend from childhood, Wildman.
- But we're still in the SH, you know, We're still down in the dumps, OK?
Examples
-
He was down in the dumps.
-
If you are feeling sad and down in the dumps, try exercising to help lift your spirits.
Blog text (32) -
You sound a bit down in the dumps.
-
To think, just a couple weeks ago, I was down in the dumps.
-
Hey, you look down in the dumps.
Fiction book (2001) -
There are times when we feel down in the dumps, and sometimes it appears for no specific reason.
Blog text (20) -
You been so down in the dumps lately.
-
Hope this helps anyone who's down in the dumps.
Blog text (24) -
She'd just been widowed, poor thing, and was down in the dumps.
-
Jimmy, I am your best mate and, as your best mate, I have noticed that you have been a little bit down in the dumps ever since Alice dumped you on your birthday.
Synonyms
441
3.5
Feeling very sad and without hope
336
1.0
Feeling sad or without energy
37
5.9
Feeling or showing deep sadness
24
6.7
Feeling sad or unhappy
23
4.1
Looking or feeling sad and quiet
18
7.7
Feeling very sad and without hope about the future
16
7.5
Feeling sad or disappointed about something
8
4.4
Feeling sad and not very hopeful
5
4.5
Feeling very sad and not hopeful
3
4.7
Feeling sad and without much hope
1
7.8
Feeling sad or unhappy
1
4.1
Feeling sad and without much hope
1
5.1
Feeling sad and without much energy
Feeling sad and without energy
Feeling a little sad or down
Feeling sad and not interested in things you usually enjoy
Antonyms
How Sad
Surface Forms
Morphology
The word 'down' already signals a low or sad mood, so part of the MWE's meaning is recoverable from its constituents; however 'dumps' literally refers to rubbish heaps and does not directly denote sadness, making the full phrase an idiomatic metaphor. Because the expression mixes a transparent element ('down') with an idiomatic metaphor ('in the dumps'), a B1 learner might guess the general sense but would likely need prior exposure to be confident of the exact meaning.
Etymology
Down in the dumps may come from the image of being down in a dirty, low place like the dumps, a rubbish heap. If you were stuck there you would feel low and unhappy, so the picture explains why the phrase means 'feeling sad'.