as in sad
feeling unhappiness
after a disastrous date like that, anyone would be down in the mouth
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Recent Examples of down in the mouth
The movie feels more than a little down in the mouth, even with its string of cliffhangers, some visually impressive, tied together with some ill-fitting comic relief.
—
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down in the mouth
Adjective
-
As Malcolm and Henry prepare to return home, they are met with the sad news that Isaac Grant (Brian McCardie) has died, throwing Malcolm into a new leadership position.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Sep. 2025
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Happy for her but selfishly sad.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Kybella can be used as an alternative to surgery for patients who are unhappy with fat under their chin, also known as submental fullness, and have not seen improvement with diet and exercise, according to the manufacturers.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Folks felt exposed or excluded or some unhappy combination of both.—
Andrew Pasquier,
Them.,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Because that’s the case, their actual margin opportunity is depressed.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
15 Sep. 2025
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This might be because people are a bit depressed.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
-
And utterly heartbroken for Charlie’s young family.—
Amanda Castro
Gabe Whisnant
Anna Commander
Toby Meyjes
Shane Croucher
John Feng
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Jeremiah is miserable, has nowhere to live, and is trying to find meaning through meaningless flings.—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
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The Arizona Cardinals and head coach Jonathan Gannon made life miserable for Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and head coach Dave Canales, from start to finish, Sunday at State Farm Stadium.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But that’s actually a bad thing for a couple reasons.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But worse than the poverty was the verbal and physical abuse from his father.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Although fossil fieldwork is never as simple as removing loose sediment with a paintbrush (sorry, Steven Spielberg), Arctic fieldwork is in a league of its own.—
Kate Wong,
Scientific American,
16 Sep. 2025
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Now 1-1 on the season, Maye will certainly face less scrutiny as the Patriots prepare for Aaron Rodgers (Maye’s favorite quarterback growing up – sorry Patriots fans) and the Steelers to come to Gillette Stadium next week.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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During the trials, some participants experienced nausea and an upset stomach, but investigators found that dividing up the pills, instead of taking all four at once, and swallowing them with orange juice instead of water, helped relieve the symptoms.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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So don’t be overly upset Yankee fans.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down in the mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20in%20the%20mouth. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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