What does depressing mean?
Word: Depressing
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Depressing means making you feel sad, low or without hope.
Synonyms: gloomy, sad, dismal
Antonyms: uplifting
How do you spell depressing?
Syllables: de - press - ing
Tricky part: Press keeps its double s inside the word, even when it is said quickly.
Watch out for: depresing, depressin, deppressing
Memory tip: Picture a grey cloud pressing down on a town; it never loses the two s's of pressing.
Depressing in a sentence
Example 1: The news about the flood was depressing for everyone in the village.
Example 2: It was depressing to see so much litter on the beach.
Example 3: The film had a depressing ending, so Riya picked a comedy next.
Fun Fact
In weather reports, a depression is an area of low air pressure that often brings clouds and heavy rain.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
depressing
a) sorrowful
b) bleak
c) cheerful
d) dreary
Show answer
c) cheerful. A dreary, bleak or sorrowful day pulls your mood down; a cheerful one lifts it.
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
pressing
a) da
b) di
c) de
d) dee
Show answer
c) de. De often means down, and something depressing pushes your spirits down.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) depressing
b) dissapointing
c) misrable
d) exausting
Show answer
a) depressing. Disappointing, miserable and exhausting each have a slip here; depressing is correct.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
dsneisrpge
a) depressing
b) expressing
c) depression
d) impressing
Show answer
a) depressing. The jumble has a d and a g: impressing has no d, depression no g, and expressing needs an x.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What might a person find depressing?
a) a week of grey, rainy days indoors
b) a holiday with no homework
c) a visit from favourite cousins
d) a sunny day out at the beach
Show answer
a) a week of grey, rainy days indoors
2. The fans said the final score was depressing. What does this tell you about their mood?
a) they were proud and excited
b) they were calm and relaxed
c) they were surprised and happy
d) they were sad and let down
Show answer
d) they were sad and let down
