depressed / depressive
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depressed
Suffering from depression; a mental illness characterized by low mood, loss of interest, and lack of drive.
Nach dem schweren Schicksalsschlag wurde er klinisch depressiv und begab sich in Behandlung.
After the severe blow of fate, he became clinically depressed and sought treatment.
The adjective 'depressiv' (depressed/depressive) belongs to the word family around the mental illness 'die Depression' (depression). Understanding the noun helps you understand the primary meaning of the adjective.
Eine Depression ist eine ernsthafte Krankheit, die professionell behandelt werden muss.
Depression is a serious illness that must be treated professionally.
The meaning of 'depressiv' (depressed/depressive) depends heavily on context. In a medical context, e.g. 'klinisch depressiv' (clinically depressed), it refers to the illness. In everyday language, it often describes only a bad mood. In economic news, it refers to a weak economy.
Der Patient leidet an einer schweren depressiven Episode.
The patient is suffering from a severe depressive episode.
In colloquial language, the construction 'etwas macht jemanden depressiv' (something makes someone depressed) is often used to express that a situation or thing causes a low mood.
Diese traurige Musik macht mich ganz depressiv.
This sad music is making me feel really depressed.
sad
'traurig' and 'depressiv' can both describe a very bad mood. 'traurig' is the normal word for sadness, for example after bad news. 'depressiv' is stronger and can mean that someone is suffering from depression. Colloquially, 'depressiv' is sometimes also used for a temporary very low mood. Learners may confuse the words because both sound negative. In practice: for normal sadness, 'traurig' is usually more suitable; 'depressiv' should be used carefully, especially when talking about an illness.
Er wirkt seit Wochen depressiv und hat kaum noch Energie.
He has seemed depressed for weeks and has hardly any energy anymore.
Nach dem Abschied war sie den ganzen Abend traurig.
After saying goodbye, she was sad all evening.