downcast
UK /ˈdaʊnkɑːst/ · US /ˈdaʊnˌkæst/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms downcasts downcasting downcasted
- adjective Of the eyes, a facial expression, etc.: looking downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty.
- adjective Of a person or thing: cast or thrown to the ground.
- adjective Of a thing: directed downwards.
- adjective Of a person: feeling despondent or discouraged.
- adjective Of a person or thing: defeated, overthrown; also, destroyed, ruined.
- noun (geology, obsolete) Synonym of downthrow (“a depression of the strata on one side of a fault; also, the degree of downward displacement in such a fault”). “a downcast dyke”
- noun (countable) An act of looking downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty; hence (uncountable, archaic), dejection, melancholy.
- noun An act, or the situation, of being cast or thrown to the ground.
- noun (figurative) A defeat, an overthrow; also, an act of destruction or ruin.
- noun (countable, computing) A cast (“change of expression of a data type”) from supertype to subtype.
- noun (countable, mining, chiefly attributive) A ventilating shaft down which air passes in circulating through a mine.
- verb To turn (the eyes) downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty.
- verb To cast or throw (something) downwards; also, to drop or lower (something).
- verb To demolish or tear down (a building, etc.).
- verb (figurative) To make (someone) feel despondent or discouraged; to discourage, to sadden.
- verb (computing) To cast (“change the expression of”) (a data type) from supertype to subtype.
- verb (Scotland) To reproach or upbraid (someone); also, to taunt (someone).
- verb (obsolete) To depose or overthrow (a leader, an institution, etc.); also (sometimes reflexive), to bring down (oneself or someone) from an exalted position; to humble.
Synonyms
sorrowful unhappy atrabiliary atrabilious blitheless dispirited blue bummed out chapfallen cheerless chopfallen crestfallen cut up damp dejected depressed despondent disgruntled disconsolate disheartened gloomy grim down downhearted down in the mouth low low-spirited
Antonyms
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Middle English doun-casten, *adoun-casten (“(adjective) cast down, dejected; (verb) to break down (something); to overcome (someone); to overturn (something)”), from down (“in a downward direction; (figurative) to destruction”), adoun (“downward”) + casten (“to throw (something), fling, hurl; to overcome (someone), defeat, overpower; [etc.]”) (from Old Norse kasta (“to cast, throw”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw”), from *kas- (“to throw, toss; to bring up”); further etymology uncertain), modelled similarly to other constructions in Middle English such as adoun-throwen (“to throw down”) and adoun-werpen (“to throw down”)). The English word is analysable as down- (prefix meaning ‘lower direction or position’) + cast (“that has been thrown”, adjective).
The noun is derived from the adjective.
From Middle English downcast (“misfortune”), adoun-cast (“destruction, overthrow”), from adoun (“downward”) + cast (“a throw, a cast”) (from Old Norse kast (“a throw”), from kasten (“to cast, throw”)), from Middle English casten adoun: see etymology 1. The English word is analysable as down- (prefix meaning ‘lower direction or position’) + cast (“act of throwing”, noun).
From Middle English doun-casten, *adoun-casten (“to cast or throw (something) downwards; to break down (something); to overcome (someone); to overturn (something)”), from down (“in a downward direction; (figurative) to destruction”), adoun (“downward”) + casten (“to throw (something), fling, hurl; to overcome (someone), defeat, overpower; [etc.]”): see etymology 1. The English word is analysable as down- (prefix meaning ‘lower direction or position’) + cast (“to throw”, verb).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Cast downward; directed to the ground, from bashfulness, modesty, dejection, or guilt.
- noun Downcast or melancholy look.
- noun A ventilating shaft down which the air passes in circulating through a mine.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “downcast”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details