downcast

Plural: downcasts

Noun

An overthrow, ruin, or a dejected state.
a ventilation shaft through which air enters a mine
Synonym of downthrow (“a depression of the strata on one side of a fault; also, the degree of downward displacement in such a fault”).
An act of looking downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty; hence (uncountable, archaic), dejection, melancholy.
An act, or the situation, of being cast or thrown to the ground.
A defeat, an overthrow; also, an act of destruction or ruin.
A cast (“change of expression of a data type”) from supertype to subtype.
A ventilating shaft down which air passes in circulating through a mine.

Adjective Satellite

directed downward
- "a downcast glance"
filled with melancholy and despondency
- "downcast after his defeat"

Adj

Of the eyes, a facial expression, etc.: looking downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty.
Of a person or thing: cast or thrown to the ground.
Of a thing: directed downwards.
Of a person: feeling despondent or discouraged.
Of a person or thing: defeated, overthrown; also, destroyed, ruined.

Verb

To turn (the eyes) downwards, usually as a sign of discouragement, sadness, etc., or sometimes modesty.
To cast or throw (something) downwards; also, to drop or lower (something).
To demolish or tear down (a building, etc.).
To make (someone) feel despondent or discouraged; to discourage, to sadden.
To cast (“change the expression of”) (a data type) from supertype to subtype.
To reproach or upbraid (someone); also, to taunt (someone).
To depose or overthrow (a leader, an institution, etc.); also (sometimes reflexive), to bring down (oneself or someone) from an exalted position; to humble.

Examples

a downcast dyke
His face was DOWNCAST after I played my bingo, ensuring my victory.

Origin / Etymology

The adjective is derived from Middle English doun-casten, *adoun-casten (“(adjective) cast down, dejected; (verb) to break down (something); to overcome (someone); to overturn (something)”), from down (“in a downward direction; (figurative) to destruction”), adoun (“downward”) + casten (“to throw (something), fling, hurl; to overcome (someone), defeat, overpower; [etc.]”) (from Old Norse kasta (“to cast, throw”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw”), from *kas- (“to throw, toss; to bring up”); further etymology uncertain), modelled similarly to other constructions in Middle English such as adoun-throwen (“to throw down”) and adoun-werpen (“to throw down”)). The English word is analysable as down- (prefix meaning ‘lower direction or position’) + cast (“that has been thrown”, adjective).
The noun is derived from the adjective.

Synonyms

blue, depressed, dispirited, down, down in the mouth, downhearted, gloomy, grim, low, low-spirited, atrabiliary, atrabilious, blitheless, bummed out, cast down, chapfallen, cheerless, chopfallen, crestfallen, cut up, damp, dejected, despondent, disconsolate, disgruntled, disheartened, dismal, doleful, dolesome, down in the dumps, downcast, downsome, downthrow, dull, elegiac, elegious, forlorn, glum, grief-stricken, grieving, heartsick, heartsore, heavy-hearted, inconsolable, infelicitous, jawfallen, joyless, lachrymose, lamentful, lugubrious, lumpish, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, moody, mopey, morose, mournful, passionate, plaintive, querulous, sad, saddened, saturnine, shattered, solemn, sombre, sorrow-ridden, sorrowful, sorrowsome, spiritless, sullen, threnetic, threnetical, triste, tristful, uncheerful, uncheery, unconsolable, unhappy, unlively, wistful, woe, woebegone, woeful, wretched

Antonyms

upcast, upthrow

Scrabble Score: 14

downcast: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
downcast: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
downcast: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

downcast: valid Words With Friends Word