😔 Low spirits 💨 E-cigarette smoke

vapors

1 9.9

A short period of feeling sad and down

noun
/ˈveɪpərz/

Archaic

: vapores

And just in case, get a fan, a fainting couch and say, oh, lordy, I have the vapors, I have AI, have a brain fever.

And just in case, get a fan, a fainting couch and say, oh, lordy, I have the vapors, I have AI, have a brain fever.

Examples

He sat alone in his room, plagued by the vapors of disappointment and despair.
And I feel that soul kind of it's like a vapour that's escaping me, right.
O my son, ever glorious, Thy touch has not yet melted my vapour, making me one with thy light.
After losing the competition, she was overcome by the vapors, feeling hopeless and despondent.
During the long winter months, many people experience the vapors when sunlight is scarce and the days are dreary.

Synonyms

blues

vsvapors

4 4.4

A feeling of mild sadness that has no clear cause

is archaic and stresses a brief, named episode rather than general feeling

blue devils

vsvapors

Archaic

1 8.9

A feeling of sadness and low mood

is a temporary, milder low mood rather than deep sorrow

low spirits

vsvapors

1 3.5

A feeling of being a little sad or down

is short-lived low mood rather than a long lasting condition

megrims

vsvapors

Archaic

9.9

A sudden feeling of deep sadness and low energy

is the same sense but appears in older, now rare usage

How Depressed

despair

210 3.5

depression

Specialized

61 3.7

vapors

Archaic

1 9.9

low spirits

1 3.5

Surface Forms

vapor singular

vapors plural

Morphology

vapors = vapor (opaque) = vapor + s

The archaic idiomatic sense 'a state of depression' is a historical metaphorical extension from bodily 'vapours' and cannot be derived by learners from the literal meaning 'vapor'.

Etymology

Vapors comes from the Latin vapor, which means 'steam' or 'breath'. In old times people thought bad feelings or faintness were like steam rising inside the body, so being in the vapors meant a short state of low spirits.