depress

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English depressen < Anglo-French, Old French depresser < Latin dēpressus pressed down (past participle of dēprimere, equivalent to de- de- + -primere, combining form of premere to press); see pressure

Related forms

de·press·i·ble, adjective

de·press·i·bil·i·ty, noun

o·ver·de·press, verb (used with object)

un·de·press·i·ble, adjective

Synonyms
1. dishearten, discourage, sadden. See oppress. 3. devalue, cheapen.

Antonyms
4. raise, elevate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

depress (dɪˈprɛs)

—vb
1.	to lower in spirits; make gloomy; deject
2.	to weaken or lower the force, vigour, or energy of
3.	to lower prices of (securities or a security market)
4.	to press or push down
5.	to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
6.	obsolete to suppress or subjugate

[C14: from Old French depresser, from Latin dēprimere from de- + premere to press¹]

de'pressible

—*adj*

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

depress

early 14c., from O.Fr. depresser, from L.L. depressare, freq. of L. deprimere "press down," from de- "down" + premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

depress de·press (dĭ-prěs')
v.

To lower in spirits; deject.
To cause to drop or sink; lower.
To press down.
To lessen the activity or force of something.

Example sentences

To push them up artificially would merely raise unemployment, which would depress consumption and imports still further.

At the indicated moment, every player must depress the button on the handle.

Rumors are part of the market and lift prices as often as depress them.

The more they produce, the more they depress the price of natural gas.

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depressomotor desolate discourage dishearten dull enliven

Matching Quote

"Good breeding and good nature do incline us rather to help and raise people up to ourselves, than to mortify and depress them, and, in truth, our own private interest concurs in it, as it is making ourselves so many friends, instead of so many enemies."

-Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield, 4th Earl