Gloom is a heavy feeling of sadness or darkness that seems to settle over everything like a thick fog. When gloom fills a room, the atmosphere itself feels heavy and dim, as if even the air has become harder to breathe, affecting everyone present.

You might notice gloom on a gray winter afternoon when the sun sets early and shadows creep across your bedroom. A gloomy day makes everything look darker and duller. But gloom extends beyond weather. A classroom can fill with gloom when everyone learns that a beloved teacher is leaving, or when test results disappoint an entire class.

The word captures that particular kind of sadness that spreads and lingers. One person's bad mood might pass quickly, but gloom hangs around. It's the difference between feeling briefly sad and feeling wrapped in persistent, cloudy sadness.

People sometimes say doom and gloom when someone keeps predicting that everything will go wrong. A gloomy person tends to focus on negative possibilities rather than positive ones. While it's natural to feel gloomy sometimes, especially when things aren't going well, most gloom eventually lifts, like morning fog burning off when the sun rises.