depressive
/dɪˈpɹɛsɪv/adjective, noun
depressive is spelled D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, depressive means “Causing depression; dispiriting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in depressive?
| Letters | 10: D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is depressive?
Depressive appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce depressive?
- US /dɪˈpɹɛsɪv/
Depressive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-depressive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with depressive?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as depressive from its last stressed vowel (/ɛsɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of depressive
- more depressive comparative
- most depressive superlative
- depressives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does depressive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Causing depression; dispiriting.
- 2
Affected by depression, depressed; dispirited; melancholic.
- 3
Relating to or characteristic of depression.
noun
- 1
A person suffering from depression.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Depressive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dispiriting:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dépressif, déprimant |
| Portuguese | depressivo, deprimente |
| Spanish | depresivo, deprimente |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does depressive come from?
From French dépressif or Medieval Latin depressivus. By surface analysis, depress + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).