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to cast down

to cast down

1 6.3
To make someone feel sad or discouraged
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : deprimir
  • After hearing the bad news, she was cast down for the rest of the day.
  • eyes cast down

Examples

  • "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?"

    Academic text (1995)
  • One objection might be, then, "Why are you cast down?"

    Blog text (14)
  • Why do you keep them cast down?

  • I come against the enemy of my soul, who would have me feel cast down and dejected.

    Blog text (28)
  • Cheer up and don't be so cast down.

  • "Maura seems a bit cast down," I said when he had leaned over.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "You don't seem to be completely cast down by Allegra's latest mischief, Mama.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • It's easy to feel cast down when faced with constant criticism.

  • He felt cast down by the unexpected failure of his project.

Synonyms

to get (someone) down
vsto cast down
  • Informal
87 4.2

To make someone feel sad or discouraged

also stresses losing hope or feeling discouraged rather than only sadness
to sadden
vsto cast down
76 2.3

To make someone feel sad

adds a stronger sense of loss of hope or confidence
to dismay
vsto cast down
37 4.4

Make someone feel shocked or worried by something unexpected

is narrower, focusing specifically on sadness and loss of hope
to bring down
vsto cast down
  • Informal
36 4.3

Cause a person or thing to be worse, for example making someone feel sad

focuses specifically on causing sadness and a discouraged mood
to demoralize
vsto cast down
33 6.1

To make someone lose confidence or hope

adds more of a sad, disheartened feeling alongside lost morale
to depress
vsto cast down
32 4.1

To make someone feel sad and lose hope

is slightly milder, stressing sadness and discouragement together
to get down
vsto cast down
  • Informal
22 4.1

To make someone feel sad or less hopeful

focuses more on feeling discouraged and hopeless in general
to weigh down
vsto cast down
9 4.9

Make someone feel sad or worried

is more about lowering spirits into sadness and discouragement
to dishearten
vsto cast down
8 5.3

To make someone lose hope or confidence

includes sadness but puts more weight on feeling discouraged
to deject
vsto cast down
4 6.5

To make someone feel sad or less hopeful

is about both sadness and a sense of being discouraged
to cast a shadow
vsto cast down
4 6.2

Make a person, event, or situation seem less happy and less hopeful

is used more for direct acts that make someone feel discouraged
to cast a pall
vsto cast down
4 8.2

Make a meeting or event feel gloomy and sad

is more about making an individual feel sad and discouraged
to dampen spirits
vsto cast down
2 4.9

Make someone feel less happy and excited

is stronger, causing actual sadness and loss of hope
to dispirit
vsto cast down
1 7.6

To make someone lose hope or confidence

is similar but also highlights an emotional sadness element

Antonyms

2.3

Give someone support and confidence so they try or keep doing something

23 3.2

To make someone feel happier and more hopeful

How Discouraged

to devastate
221 4.9
to depress
32 4.1
to cast down
1 6.3
to discourage
257 3.5
to let down
210 2.9

Surface Forms

cast down infinitive
cast down past
cast down past participle
casting down present participle
casts down third person singular

Morphology

cast + down

There is a visible compositional link: 'down' evokes low mood and 'cast' can mean to cause or put into a state, so 'cast down' can be interpreted as 'cause to feel low'. However, 'cast' has multiple senses (often 'throw') and the phrase is somewhat formal/dated, so the exact emotional sense is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Cast down comes from old use of cast meaning 'to throw' and down meaning 'lower'. Imagine someone throwing a person's mood down or someone with eyes cast down when ashamed. That's why it now means 'to make someone feel sad or discouraged'.