Definition

Noun 1. A state of low spirits; a mild, temporary feeling of sadness, gloom, or listlessness. It refers to a condition of being in low spirits, often characterized by quiet unhappiness, lack of energy, or a sullen mood.

Usage

The word "mopes" is almost always used with the definite article "the" to form the phrase "the mopes." This phrase functions as a singular noun describing the state itself. * It is an informal, colloquial term. * It describes a temporary, often self-indulgent, state of low mood rather than a serious, clinical depression.

Examples

• After his team lost the championship, he had the mopes for a whole week.
• Don't sit around with the mopes all day; let's go for a walk and get some fresh air.
• She's been in the mopes ever since her best friend moved away.

Advanced Usage

• To have the mopes: To be experiencing a period of low spirits.
  • I can't seem to shake the mopes this rainy afternoon.
• To be in the mopes: To be in a state of mild depression.
  • He's been in the mopes since the project ended.

Variants and Related Words

• Mope (verb): To be listless, apathetic, or gloomy; to move or act in a dispirited manner.
  • He spent the weekend moping around the house.
• Mopey (adjective): Characterized by or given to moping; sullenly listless or dejected.
  • She's been feeling very mopey lately.

Synonyms

• The blues
• The doldrums
• A funk
• Gloom
• Melancholy (milder sense)
• Dumps (as in "in the dumps")

Idioms and Phrases

• To have the mopes: The primary idiomatic phrase using this word.
  • Ever since the rainy season started, the whole city seems to have the mopes.

Noun

1. an informal expression for a mildly depressed state
   • in the dumps
   • have the mopes