What does dejection mean?
Dejection is a noun describing a state of low spirits — a settled sadness or dispiritedness that follows disappointment, failure, or loss. Unlike fleeting unhappiness, dejection suggests a sustained, heavy gloom; someone in dejection is not merely annoyed but genuinely cast down, drained of hope or enthusiasm. The word carries a formal or literary register: you are more likely to meet it in novels, essays, and careful prose than in casual conversation, where speakers would say "feeling down" or "bummed out." Common pairings include "deep dejection," "utter dejection," and "a sense of dejection." Its etymology is vivid: it comes from Latin deicere, "to throw down" (from de- "down" plus jacere "to throw"), the same root behind "eject," "inject," and "project." That physical image of being hurled to the ground makes the word memorable, capturing exactly how emotional defeat can feel like a bodily collapse.
nounA state of low spirits, sadness, or dejected melancholy; the feeling of being dispirited or cast down.
- A state of sadness, low spirits, or disheartenment; the condition of being dejected.
"After weeks of rejected applications, she sank into a quiet dejection that even her friends could not lift."
"He tried to hide his dejection when the team lost the final match."
"The novel opens with the hero wandering the moors in profound dejection."
Rarely used in the plural; the noun is almost always treated as uncountable. A plural form exists but appears only in unusual or archaic contexts.
"He poured out all his dejections in letters to his brother. (uncommon)"
Dejection literally means a "throwing down" — the same Latin root (jacere, to throw) gives us eject, inject, and project, so when you're in dejection, life has metaphorically thrown you to the ground.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dejection
Dejection entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French dejection or directly from Late Latin deiectio, meaning "a throwing down." The Latin root combines de- ("down") with jacere ("to throw"), making dejection etymologically a "casting down" — first of physical things, then figuratively of the spirits. It shares this root with words such as "eject," "inject," "project," and "reject." By the early modern period its dominant sense was already the emotional one still current today.
How dejection is actually used
"Dejection" is a formal or literary term, more elevated than everyday words like "sadness" or "the blues," and it typically describes a lingering, settled low mood rather than a brief moment of disappointment. It is uncountable in standard usage.
Easily confused with dejection
"Rejection" is the act of refusing or dismissing something or someone, while "dejection" is the resulting emotional state of sadness and low spirits.