Standard Lemma guide

doldrums

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɒldɹəmz/
  • General-American: /ˈdɑldɹəmz/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D OW1 L D R AH0 M Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Usually preceded by the: a state of apathy or lack of interest; a situation where one feels boredom, ennui, or tedium; a state of listlessness or malaise.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • I was in the doldrums yesterday and just didn’t feel inspired.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dumps

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Usually preceded by the: the state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds, and is unable to make progress.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Usually preceded by the: a part of the ocean near the equator where calms, squalls, and light, baffling winds are common.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, plural, plural-only

Topics: geography, natural-sciences, nautical, oceanography, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: calms, intertropical convergence zone

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

plural of doldrum (“slothful or stupid person”)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, obsolete, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a belt of calms and light winds between the northern and southern trade winds of the Atlantic and Pacific

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wind, air current, current of air

6

noun

Meaning 6

a state of inactivity (in business or art etc)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • economic growth of less than 1% per year is considered to be economic stagnation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stagnation, stagnancy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inaction, inactivity, inactiveness

History

Etymology

From obsolete doldrum (“slothful or stupid person”) plus the plural suffix -s. Doldrum is possibly derived from dull or Middle English dold (past participle of dullen, dollen (“to make or become blunt or dull; to make or become dull-witted or stupid; to make or become inactive”), from dul, dol, dolle (“not sharp, blunt, dull; not quick-witted, stupid; lethargic, sluggish”); see further at dull), modelled after tantrum.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: униние (uninie) — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Bulgarian: потиснатост (potisnatost) — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Trübsal — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: trübselige Stimmung — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Trübsinn — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Lustlosigkeit — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Flautenstimmung — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Flaute — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Durchhänger — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Italian: depressione — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Italian: tristezza — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Māori: paruretanga — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Polish: apatia — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Portuguese: esmorecimento — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Portuguese: modorra — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • Swedish: tristess — state of apathy or lack of interest
  • German: Flaute — state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds
  • Italian: bonaccia — state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds
  • Polish: flauta — state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds
  • Polish: cisza — state of a sailing ship when it is impeded by calms or light, baffling winds
  • Danish: kalmebælte — part of the ocean near the equator
  • Faroese: lognarbelti — part of the ocean near the equator
  • French: Pot-au-Noir — part of the ocean near the equator
  • German: Kalmengürtel — part of the ocean near the equator
  • German: Innertropische Konvergenzzone — part of the ocean near the equator
  • German: Kalmen — part of the ocean near the equator
  • Hebrew: אֵזוֹר הַשֶּׁקֶט הַמַּשְׁוָנִי (ezor hasheket hamashvani) — part of the ocean near the equator
  • Icelandic: kyrrabelti — part of the ocean near the equator
  • Indonesian: doldrum — part of the ocean near the equator
  • Manx: ard ny guinaghyn — part of the ocean near the equator