CHEERLESSNESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cheerlessness mean? 

• CHEERLESSNESS (noun)
  The noun CHEERLESSNESS has 1 sense:

1. a feeling of dreary or pessimistic sadness

  Familiarity information: CHEERLESSNESS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHEERLESSNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A feeling of dreary or pessimistic sadness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

cheerlessness; uncheerfulness

Hypernyms ("cheerlessness" is a kind of...):

sadness; unhappiness (emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cheerlessness"):

joylessness (a feeling of dismal cheerlessness)

Antonym:

cheerfulness (a feeling of spontaneous good spirits)

Derivation:

cheerless (causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy)

 Context examples 

Such a companion for herself in the periods of anxiety and cheerlessness before her!

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Fanny's disposition was such that she could never even think of her aunt Norris in the meagreness and cheerlessness of her own small house, without reproaching herself for some little want of attention to her when they had been last together; much less could her feelings acquit her of having done and said and thought everything by William that was due to him for a whole fortnight.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)