de·pres·sive
di-ˈpre-siv 
dē-
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
depressive symptoms
a depressive patient
depressively
adverb
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
Examples of depressive in a Sentence
Adjective
the depressive story about a struggling artist
Recent Examples on the Web
John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Alongside other treatments, inositol supplements may help with depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder.
—Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 18 Apr. 2025
New Atlas, 3 Apr. 2025
One thinks of depressive, overmedicated narrators in novels by Ottessa Moshfegh or Emma Cline, Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, or the anglophone vogue for Sebaldian autofiction.
—Lidija Haas, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
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Adjective
More precisely, there was a 60 percent reduction in depressive symptoms, with more than half of the participants exhibiting total remission.
—John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Alongside other treatments, inositol supplements may help with depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder.
—Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
Also, single high-dose LSD treatment very likely works in patients with depressive or anxiety disorders.
—New Atlas, 3 Apr. 2025
One thinks of depressive, overmedicated narrators in novels by Ottessa Moshfegh or Emma Cline, Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, or the anglophone vogue for Sebaldian autofiction.
—Lidija Haas, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depressive
Cite this Entry
“Depressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depressive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
depressive
1 of 2 adjective
de·pres·sive
di-ˈpres-iv
1
: tending to depress
2
: of, relating to, marked by, or affected by psychological depression
the patient was paranoid and depressive
depressive symptoms
depressive
2 of 2 noun
: one who is affected with or prone to psychological depression
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