A state of partial or total darkness:
— He struck a match to dispel the gloom.

synonyms: somberness, sombreness.

Roget 421: darkness etc. adj., absence of light; blackness etc. (dark color) 431; obscurity, gloom, murk; dusk etc. (dimness) 422.    Cimmerian darkness^†, Stygian darkness, Egyptian darkness; night; midnight; dead of night, witching hour of night, witching time of night; blind man's holiday; darkness visible, darkness that can be felt; palpable obscure; Erebus [Lat.]; the jaws of darkness" [Midsummer Night's Dream]; sablevested night" [Milton]. shade, shadow, umbra, penumbra; sciagraphy^†.    obscuration; occultation, adumbration, obumbration^†; obtenebration^†, offuscation^†, caligation^†; extinction; eclipse, total eclipse; gathering of the clouds.    shading; distribution of shade; chiaroscuro etc. (light) 420.    noctivagation^†.    [perfectly black objects] black body; hohlraum [Phys.]; black hole; dark star; dark matter, cold dark matter.    ... show more

Roget 837: dejection; dejectedness etc. adj.; depression, prosternation^†; lowness of spirits, depression of spirits; weight on the spirits, oppression on the spirits, damp on the spirits; low spirits, bad spirits, drooping spirits, depressed spirits; heart sinking; heaviness of heart, failure of heart.    heaviness etc. adj.; infestivity^†, gloom; weariness etc. 841; taedium vitae, disgust of life; mal du pays etc. (regret) 833; anhedonia^†.    melancholy; sadness etc. adj.; il penseroso [It], melancholia, dismals^†, blues, lachrymals^†, mumps^†, dumps, blue devils, doldrums; vapors, megrims, spleen, horrors, hypochondriasis [Med.], pessimism; la maladie sans maladie [Fr.]; despondency, slough of Despond; disconsolateness etc. adj.; hope deferred, blank despondency; voiceless woe.    prostration of soul; broken heart; despair etc. 859; cave of despair, cave of Trophonius demureness etc. adj.; gravity, solemnity; long face, grave face.    hypochondriac, seek sorrow, self-tormentor, heautontimorumenos^†, malade imaginaire [Fr.], medecin tant pis [Fr.]; croaker, pessimist; mope, mopus^†.    [Cause of dejection] affliction etc. 830; sorry sight; memento mori [Lat.]; damper, wet blanket, Job's comforter.    ... show more

Dutch: duisternis

A feeling of melancholy apprehension.

synonyms: gloominess, somberness, sombreness.

Dutch: bedruktheid, depressiviteit, dofheid, droefgeestigheid, dysforie, gedeprimeerdheid, neerslachtigheid, somberheid, somberte, treurnis, triestheid, zwaarmoedigheid, zwartgalligheid ... show more
Polish: posępność, mroczność, grobowość

An atmosphere of depression and melancholy:
— Gloom pervaded the office.

synonyms: gloominess, glumness.