doldrum
Period of inactivity
A doldrum is a state of listlessness, stagnation, or depression.
The word appears almost exclusively in the plural: if you are in the doldrums, you are feeling low or sluggish, or experiencing a period of inactivity.
The expression originally referred to a belt of calms and light winds near the equator where sailing ships could be stranded for days, waiting for wind to fill their sails.
Lack of movement
- standstillTotal cessation of movement
- stasisState of inactivity
- deadlockMutual blocking, no progress
- impasseSituation without resolution
gridlock · plateau · halt · pause · logjam · stalemate · holding pattern · rut
Absence of energy, enthusiasm
- ennuiWeary, listless dissatisfaction
- apathyAbsence of feeling
- languorWeary, dreamy fatigue
- torporInactive, sluggish state
sluggishness · inertia · boredom · fatigue · lassitude · weariness · indifference · stupor
Free from agitation
- becalmedLeft motionless by windlessness
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- ITCZEquatorial convergence zone
- trade windsReliable equatorial air currents
equatorial · sailing · mariners · horse latitudes · windless · sails · navigation · oceanography
Extended period of decline
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- downturnEconomic decline period
- declineDecrease or refuse
- stagnationAbsence of flow or progress
slowdown · trough · contraction · depression · bear market · bust · hard times · lull
Prolonged low state
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- gloomPervasive dimness or dejection
- despondencyProfound loss of hope
- bluesMournful American music genre
low spirits · malaise · heaviness · funk · downheartedness · sadness · bleakness · moodiness
inactivity
Lack of movement
- standstillTotal cessation of movement
- stasisState of inactivity
- deadlockMutual blocking, no progress
impasse · gridlock · plateau · halt · pause · logjam · stalemate · holding pattern · rut · going nowhere
listlessness
Absence of energy, enthusiasm
torpor · sluggishness · inertia · boredom · fatigue · lassitude · weariness · indifference · stupor · lifelessness
calm
Free from agitation
- becalmedLeft motionless by windlessness
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- ITCZEquatorial convergence zone
trade winds · equatorial · sailing · mariners · horse latitudes · windless · sails · navigation · oceanography · tropics
slump
Extended period of decline
stagnation · slowdown · trough · contraction · depression · bear market · bust · hard times · lull
depression
Prolonged low state
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- gloomPervasive dimness or dejection
- despondencyProfound loss of hope
blues · low spirits · malaise · heaviness · funk · downheartedness · sadness · bleakness · moodiness · dispiritedness
doldrumexhilaration
Intense joyful excitement
elation · euphoria · excitement · enthusiasm · vitality
- in the doldrumsState of stagnation