Gloominess is a heavy, somber mood or atmosphere that makes everything feel darker and more depressing. When gloominess settles over a person, they feel sad, pessimistic, and weighed down, like a gray cloud has parked itself overhead. When gloominess fills a place, it feels dim, cheerless, and uninviting.

You might notice gloominess in someone's expression when they slump in their chair with their head down, speaking in a flat, discouraged voice. A room can have an air of gloominess too: dark corners, closed curtains, and silence can all contribute to that heavy feeling. Foggy winter days often carry a sense of gloominess that makes people want to stay inside under blankets.

Gloominess differs from ordinary sadness in that it includes a sense that things won't get better, a feeling that the sun might never come back out. When a character in a story shows gloominess, they're caught in a darker state of mind that colors how they see everything around them, beyond just having a bad moment.

The opposite of gloominess is cheerfulness or brightness: when someone's spirits lift, the gloominess breaks, like clouds parting to reveal blue sky.