vapors
Definition
Noun 1. A state of depression or low spirits; a feeling of melancholy or despondency. This is an archaic or historical usage, often referring to a condition once thought to be caused by bodily fumes or vapors. Example: In the 18th century, it was common for women suffering from anxiety to be diagnosed with a case of the vapors.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- After receiving the distressing news, she was overcome by a fit of the vapors and retired to her room.
- The character in the Victorian novel often succumbed to the vapors when under emotional strain.
Advanced Usage
- "The vapors": This fixed phrase is almost always used with the definite article "the." It describes a sudden, often dramatic, episode of nervousness, fainting, or depression.
- The mere suggestion of danger gave her the vapors.
Variants and Related Words
- Vapor (noun): A substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical point; a visible suspension of particles in the air (e.g., steam, mist).
- Water vapor rose from the hot spring.
- Vaporize (verb): To turn into vapor.
- The heat will vaporize the liquid.
Synonyms
- Melancholy: A feeling of pensive sadness.
- Despondency: A state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.
- The blues: (Informal) Feelings of sadness or depression.
Notes on Meaning
This sense of "vapors" is distinct from the modern, more common meaning of "vapor" (a gaseous substance). The usage defined here is largely historical and literary. In contemporary language, "the vapors" is sometimes used humorously or ironically to describe an over-the-top reaction of faintness or distress.
Noun
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a state of depression
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he had a bad case of the blues
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