gloom-monger
|gloom-mong-er|
🇺🇸
/ˈɡluːmˌmʌŋɡər/
🇬🇧
/ˈɡluːmˌmʌŋɡə/
one who spreads gloom
Etymology
'gloom-monger' originates from English, specifically a compound of 'gloom' (from Old English 'glom' meaning 'darkness, gloom') and 'monger' (from Old English 'mangere' meaning 'seller, trader').
'monger' changed from Old English 'mangere' to Middle English 'mongere' and came to be used in figurative compound forms (e.g. 'scaremonger', 'rumormonger') in modern English; 'gloom-monger' formed by analogy to these compounds to mean a 'seller' or promoter of gloom.
Initially 'monger' literally meant 'seller' or 'trader'; in compounds it shifted to mean 'one who promotes or spreads' something, so 'gloom-monger' evolved to mean 'one who spreads gloom or pessimism' rather than literally selling gloom.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who habitually expresses or promotes a gloomy, pessimistic, or depressing view of things.
Don't invite the gloom-monger — they'll only focus on what's going wrong.
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Noun 2
someone who spreads alarming or discouraging news or predictions, often exaggerating negatives to provoke fear or resignation.
He was labeled a gloom-monger after repeatedly warning that the company would collapse.
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Last updated: 2025/11/02 22:21