Origin: Latin suffix -sion
Depression has 12 different meanings across 2 categories:
a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
"After losing his job, he fell into a deep depression where he felt utterly inadequate and couldn't bring himself to leave his bed."
a long-term economic state characterized by unemployment and low prices and low levels of trade and investment
"The global recession plunged many nations into a deep depression, leaving factories idle and workers without jobs for years."
a sunken or depressed geological formation
"The survey team noticed that water collected in the depression at the bottom of the canyon after the heavy rains."
sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
"After failing to get promoted, he spent the entire weekend in a deep depression, convinced that no matter what he did, he would never be good enough."
a period during the 1930s when there was a worldwide economic depression and mass unemployment
"The Great Depression left my grandfather's family without work for years, forcing them to sell their farm in the 1930s."
an air mass of lower pressure; often brings precipitation
"a low moved in over night bringing sleet and snow"
a state of depression and anhedonia so severe as to require clinical intervention
"After months of numbness that made even his favorite meals tasteless, he finally admitted he needed professional help for the deepening depression."
a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
"he left the impression of his fingers in the soft mud"
angular distance below the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
"The astronomer adjusted the telescope to track the moon's increasing depression as it sank toward the western edge of the sky."
In psychotherapy and psychiatry, a state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future.
"After months of feeling unable to envision a bright tomorrow, she finally sought professional help for her severe depression."
In plain English: Depression is a serious and long-lasting feeling of sadness that makes it hard to enjoy life or function normally.
"She spent the whole afternoon in a deep depression after losing her job."
Usage: In everyday conversation, use "depression" to refer to the clinical mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest, rather than temporary feelings of being down. Avoid using it as a synonym for general unhappiness or economic downturns unless you are specifically discussing those distinct contexts.
Synonym of Great Depression.
"The stock market crash plunged the nation into a depression that lasted for over a decade, wiping out savings and closing thousands of factories."
The word depression comes from the Latin dēpressiō, which literally means "a pressing down." It entered English through Middle and Old French with this same sense of being pressed or depressed downward.