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Definition of "doldrums" []

  • A period of stagnation or slump. (noun-plural)
  • A period of depression or unhappy listlessness. (noun-plural)
  • A region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls. (noun-plural)
  • The weather conditions characteristic of these regions of the ocean. (noun-plural)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "doldrums" in a sentence
  • "Conservatives have built up the myth of Reagan as being well-loved throughout his presidency, but he hit the same midterm doldrums Obama now finds himself in, and for almost exactly the same reason -- the economy was in the same doldrums, and it wasn't recovering fast enough to do the president any good politically."
  • "They could have added that the Academy, in doldrums at the time, was ill-equipped for the sensitive task."
  • ""We're looking for that magic they call the doldrums," she says."
  • "  Yet questions over Rove’s role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame have proven troublesome for a White House already struggling under the weight of second term doldrums and worries about the war in Iraq."
  • ""The second-term doldrums have really set in," said a White House aide."