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👀 Looking downward 😔 Sad or discouraged 🌬️ A mine air shaft
downcast

downcast

4 4.5
A look or eyes that point downward, often showing shame
  • adjective
  • /ˈdaʊnˌkæst/
translation icon : cabizbajo
  • "God help us," I repeated, looking at my father, his eyes downcast and sad.
  • downcast eyes

Examples

  • Milla rose and stood before Niklas, eyes downcast, and shook her head.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • His wife's downcast eyes lifted to offer the room a silent apology.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "I was just listening," you may answer, eyes downcast, voice soft.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I gave Innocent a warning look that had him backing out of the house with downcast eyes.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Victor decides not to press the issue with the downcast girl whose face is wet with tears.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • But the woman kept her eyes downcast until Molly couldn't stand it anymore.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • O's face was averted, her eyes downcast, as if she couldn't look at him.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Her eyes were downcast, looking coyly from under her thin brows at Patricia.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Marianne was sitting meekly hunched at the table, bone-sharp elbows on the table, eyes downcast and forehead creased.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • She entered the room with downcast eyes, revealing her disappointment over the news.

Synonyms

downturned
vsdowncast
1 4.6

Facing down and often showing sadness

refers mainly to eyes or glances showing sadness or modesty

Antonyms

bright
171 1.0

Full of happiness and cheer

Compounds

downcast expression
1 4.2

A sad look that shows someone feels unhappy

How Sad

tearful
26 1.8
sorrowful
14 3.6
sad-faced
1 3.6
downcast
4 4.5
unhappy
463 1.0

Surface Forms

downcast positive

Morphology

downcast = cast (transparent) = down + cast

The sense 'directed downward' is a straightforward compositional meaning of 'cast' (to direct) + 'down'. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

The word downcast comes from down ('toward the ground') and cast ('to throw' or 'send'). A helpful image is 'casting your eyes down', so downcast describes a look that is directed downward and often shows modesty or sadness.