What does depression mean?
Depression is a noun with several distinct but related meanings, all rooted in the idea of being pressed down. Its most prominent sense today describes a mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest or pleasure in life — a serious illness recognized by medical professionals worldwide, often qualified as 'clinical depression'. A related, milder sense denotes simple dejection or low spirits. In economics, depression refers to a sustained, severe collapse in economic activity, its most famous instance being the Great Depression of the 1930s. The word also has physical meanings: a hollow or sunken area on a surface, and the act of pressing down. Derived from Latin deprimere, meaning 'to press down', it entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages. Because it spans psychology, economics, geography, and everyday speech, depression is among English's most versatile — and most consequential — abstract nouns.
A state of persistent sadness and loss of interest, especially as a diagnosed mental health condition.
"Treatment for depression often combines therapy and medication."
Often used with modifiers such as 'clinical' or 'severe' to indicate the condition rather than transient sadness.
A long and severe recession in an economy.
"The Great Depression devastated economies worldwide in the 1930s."
A sunken area or hollow on a surface.
"There was a small depression in the sand where the ball had landed."
The action of pressing down or the state of being pressed down; a lowering or reduction.
"The depression of prices continued through the winter."
The plural is used chiefly for multiple instances of hollows, economic downturns, or specific depressive episodes; the mental health condition itself is usually uncountable.
"The coastline was dotted with shallow depressions filled with rainwater."
The same word that names the darkest depths of the human mind also names the worst economic collapse in history — and both senses arrived within just a few years of each other.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of depression
Depression derives from the Latin verb deprimere, meaning 'to press down', formed from de- ('down') and premere ('to press'). The word entered English through Old French as depressioun around the late fourteenth century, initially carrying the literal sense of pressing down. The psychological sense of dejection developed by the fifteenth century, while the meteorological and economic senses emerged later; the economic meaning became firmly established during the financial crisis of the 1870s. Cognates sharing the Latin root premere include compress, impress, suppress, and pressure.
How depression is actually used
When referring to the mental health condition, 'depression' is often used with 'clinical' or preceded by the definite article ('suffering from depression'). It is a serious term and should not be used casually for ordinary sadness; 'feeling depressed' colloquially is common but can trivialize the condition.
Easily confused with depression
Repression is the act of subduing or restraining something (such as emotions or memories), whereas depression refers to low mood, a mental health condition, an economic downturn, or a hollow.