When we talk about how we feel, sometimes regular words aren’t enough. That’s where idioms come in—they’re special phrases that mean something different from the usual meanings of the words. This post explores idioms related to feeling sad or depressed, showing their meanings and how to use them in sentences.
Depression Idioms
Here are 20 depression idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling very sad
Example: She’s been down in the dumps since the move.
2. At the end of one’s rope
Meaning: Completely worn out or hopeless
Example: He was at the end of his rope after losing his job.
3. Blue funk
Meaning: A state of fear or panic
Example: She’s in a blue funk over her exams.
4. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reach the lowest point
Example: After losing his house, he hit rock bottom.
5. A black dog
Meaning: Depression
Example: The black dog has been following him lately.
6. In a rut
Meaning: Stuck; not progressing
Example: I’ve been in a rut with my writing.
7. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill or sad
Example: She’s been under the weather all week.
8. Feel blue
Meaning: Feel sad
Example: He’s been feeling blue after the news.
9. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: Complain about a loss from the past
Example: He’s crying over spilled milk over his old job.
10. Carry the world on one’s shoulders
Meaning: Feel extreme pressure
Example: She carries the world on her shoulders.
11. Lose heart
Meaning: To become discouraged
Example: Don’t lose heart in tough times.
12. Sink into despair
Meaning: Become very depressed
Example: He sank into despair after the divorce.
13. A sinking feeling
Meaning: A premonition of bad news
Example: I got a sinking feeling about the test result.
14. Tear one’s hair out
Meaning: Extremely anxious or frustrated
Example: She was tearing her hair out over finances.
15. Grey skies
Meaning: A sad, depressing environment
Example: It’s been grey skies at home lately.
16. Heavy heart
Meaning: Feeling sadness or grief
Example: He left with a heavy heart.
17. Storm clouds
Meaning: Signs of trouble or sadness
Example: Storm clouds gathered over their summer plans.
18. A cold day in July
Meaning: An unlikely or rare event
Example: Seeing him happy is like a cold day in July.
19. Drown one’s sorrows
Meaning: To drink alcohol to forget the pain
Example: He went to drown his sorrows at the bar.
20. Walking on eggshells
Meaning: Acting cautiously to not upset someone
Example: We’ve been walking on eggshells around him.
