mope

To mope means to sit or move around in a sad, gloomy way, usually after some disappointment, loss, or hurt feeling. A person who is moping is not just briefly upset. They stay in that low mood, keep turning the problem over in their mind, and often show it in their face, posture, and behavior. The feeling is usually quiet rather than dramatic, so the word often suggests sulking, brooding, or feeling sorry for yourself.

It is commonly used for everyday disappointments: not getting what you wanted, losing a game, being rejected, missing someone, or feeling left out. Someone might mope in their room after an argument, or mope around the house all afternoon after bad news. The idea is that they are lingering in their sadness instead of moving on quickly.

The word can sometimes sound mildly critical. If you tell someone, "Stop moping," you mean they have been sad and inactive for long enough and should get up, rejoin life, or do something useful. For that reason, mope is often used when the sadness seems real but also a bit unhelpful or drawn out. "He was still moping days after his favorite show was canceled."

Moping is usually temporary and connected to a specific cause, so it is not the same as a serious medical condition such as depression. In normal use, it describes a mood that may last for hours or days but is expected to pass. If someone seems withdrawn, gloomy, slow, and lost in unhappy thoughts, they are probably moping.