gloom /ɡluːm/ BrE AmE noun [singular, uncountable]
1 . literary almost complete darkness:
He peered into the gathering (=increasing) gloom.
2 . a feeling of great sadness and lack of hope:
a time of high unemployment and economic gloom
⇨ doom and gloom at ↑ doom 2
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ be filled with gloom
She was filled with gloom as she looked around the place.
▪ be sunk in gloom (=feel very sad and hopeless)
She made several attempts at conversation but the boy was sunk in gloom.
▪ cast (a) gloom over something (=make people feel sad)
His ill health had cast a gloom over the Christmas holidays.
▪ dispel/lift the gloom (=make people feel less sad)
Now for some good news to dispel the gloom.
▪ gloom deepens (=people feel more sad)
The party's gloom deepened as the election results came in.
▪ gloom lifts (=people stop feeling sad)
Germany's gloom lifted when Stallkamp scored a goal.
■ phrases
▪ doom and gloom (=when there seems no hope)
The picture is not all doom and gloom - some tourist areas are still drawing in the crowds.
■ adjectives
▪ economic gloom
It was a year of economic gloom for the car industry.
▪ deep gloom
There was deep gloom about the future.
▪ a general gloom (=when many people feel there is not much hope)
Amid the general gloom, there are some positive signs.