Link Centre Dictionary

gloom

UK/ɡluːm/ US/ɡlum/ uncommon

noun

1.

a state of partial or total darkness

  • “he struck a match to dispell the gloom”
Synonyms
2.
3.

an atmosphere of depression and melancholy

  • “gloom pervaded the office”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English *gloom, *glom, from Old English glōm (“gloaming, twilight, darkness”), from Proto-West Germanic *glōm, from Proto-Germanic *glōmaz (“gleam, shimmer, sheen”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). The English word is cognate with Norwegian glom (“transparent membrane”), Scots gloam (“twilight; faint light; dull gleam”).

Phrases

  • doom and gloom
  • June gloom

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.