doldrums
noun/ˈdɒldrəmz/
/ˈdəʊldrəmz/
[plural] (usually the doldrums)
- the state of feeling sad or depressed
- in the doldrums He's been in the doldrums ever since she left him.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- a lack of activity or improvement
- The bond market normally revives after the summer doldrums.
- in the doldrums Despite these measures, the economy remains in the doldrums.
Word Originlate 18th cent. (as doldrum ‘dull, sluggish person’): perhaps from dull, on the pattern of tantrums. From the place in the ocean near the equator where there are sudden periods of calm. A sailing ship caught in this area can be stuck there because of a lack of wind.
Check pronunciation:
doldrums