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
-
The sad reality is that Lucky really hasn't had all that much luck in his life to date.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
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Collins, who has previously celebrated the unique pleasures of the early dinner, finds something to like about lunch in all its guises—the power lunch, the liquid lunch, even the sad desk lunch.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Galino is unhappy with how Jimenez is running his territory, and thinks Tommy can help the cartel get into the oil business.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 July 2025
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Things will become much clearer once Jenkins — who is unhappy with his current contract is currently sidelined with a back injury — begins practicing.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
Adjective
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Now Ortberg’s plan to gradually raise the severely depressed production of its cash cow Max is showing green shoots, but to ensure dominance in the next decade, Boeing’s top chance at besting Airbus is designing and successfully commercializing a totally new and disruptive 737 successor.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
2 Aug. 2025
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Researchers think this effect could buffer against or repair some of the weaker ties between neurons in a depressed brain.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Ak’s heartbroken family are still reeling from her death.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
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During the ‘54 season, a heartbroken Mack gave his sons, Earle and Roy, permission to sell his beloved team.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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For now, this is DeVries on the job: intent but measured, teeth ready to clamp down on his tongue, establishing standards while also very much trying to make sure his team isn’t miserable from the beginning.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
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His Panthers opened the season with two miserable losses, complete with booing from fans in the home opener, and the 23-year-old soon became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era to be benched for non-injury reasons.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Truth be told, neither outcome would have been a bad choice.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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The tab can easily run into thousands of dollars A bad adapter might even expose vehicles and chargers — conceivably, even your home — to cybersecurity threats.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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At the end of the day, Ohtani was pitching into the fourth inning for the first time since his second Tommy John surgery, so the Dodgers were likely playing it safe rather than sorry.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
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Screenwriter Busch, who, gay and in his 30s, played the 16-year-old teenage girl Gidget — sorry, Chicklet — in his original off-Broadway stage show here plays the detective-in-drag investigating the murders.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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In one video posted to X, Ortega became visibly upset when one fan said her name loudly.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
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Bettors are taking the underdog in the hopes of an upset.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 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 7 Aug. 2025.
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