उदास (udaas)

adjective An invariant adjective describing a sad, gloomy, or low-spirited state of mind; also extends to describe a dull, deserted, or melancholy atmosphere or place.

Sense 1 : sad, dejected, in low spirits

adjective

Synonyms: दुखी (dukhii), मलिन (malin, literary), उदासीन (udaasiin, different shade: indifferent rather than sad)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the word you'll hear a mother use when checking on a quiet child: क्या हुआ, उदास क्यों हो? (kyaa huaa, udaas kyon ho?, 'what happened, why are you looking sad?'). It carries a soft, almost tender concern, quite different from the sharper दुखी (dukhii) which implies actual hurt or sorrow.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for दुखी (dukhii) and उदास (udaas) interchangeably, but उदास (udaas) leans toward a quiet, withdrawn low mood rather than active grief or pain, which दुखी (dukhii) can also carry. 2) The person feeling this state is usually the subject with होना (honaa) -- वह उदास है (vah udaas hai, 'he/she is sad') -- not a को (ko)-marked dative construction like with लगना (lagnaa).

Sample Sentences:

क्या हुआ, उदास क्यों हो? What happened, why do you look sad?

(kyaa huaa, udaas kyon ho?)

वह आजकल बहुत उदास रहती है। She has been staying quite sad these days.

(vah aajkal bahut udaas rahtii hai।)

उसकी बात सुनकर मैं उदास हो गया। Hearing what she said, I became sad.

(uskii baat sunkar main udaas ho gayaa।)

इतने उदास मत बनो, सब ठीक हो जाएगा। Don't be so sad, everything will be fine.

(itne udaas mat bano, sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)

अगर वह परीक्षा में फेल हो जाता तो बहुत उदास होता। If he had failed the exam, he would have been very sad.

(agar vah pariikshaa men phel ho jaataa to bahut udaas hotaa।)

शायद वह अपने दोस्त से बिछड़ने की वजह से उदास हो। Maybe she is sad because of parting from her friend.

(shaayad vah apne dost se bichhadne kii vajah se udaas ho।)

बच्चा सुबह से उदास बैठा है, पता नहीं क्या हुआ। The child has been sitting sad since morning, I don't know what happened.

(bachchaa subah se udaas baithaa hai, pataa nahiin kyaa huaa।)

उसकी उदास आँखें देखकर मुझसे कुछ नहीं पूछा गया। Seeing her sad eyes, nothing could be asked by me.

(uskii udaas aankhen dekhkar mujhse kuchh nahiin poochhaa gayaa।)

माँ ने देखा कि बेटी बहुत उदास है, तो पास बैठ गई। The mother saw that her daughter was very sad, so she sat down beside her.

(maan ne dekhaa ki betii bahut udaas hai, to paas baith gaii।)

क्या आप उदास हैं? आपका चेहरा कुछ बता रहा है। Are you sad? Your face seems to be saying something.

(kyaa aap udaas hain? aapkaa chehraa kuchh bataa rahaa hai।)

जब भी वह पुराने घर की याद करता है, उदास हो जाता है। Whenever he remembers the old house, he becomes sad.

(jab bhii vah puraane ghar kii yaad kartaa hai, udaas ho jaataa hai।)

Sense 2 : gloomy, dull, deserted (of a place, atmosphere, or scene)

adjective This sense extends the emotional meaning metonymically onto places, weather, or scenes that feel lifeless or joyless, e.g. an evening, a street, or a room.

Synonyms: सुनसान (sunsaan, deserted, different shade: emptiness rather than mood), वीरान (viiraan, literary, desolate)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: You'll hear this used for a rainy, empty evening or a house that feels too quiet after guests leave -- शाम बहुत उदास थी (shaam bahut udaas thii, 'the evening was very gloomy'). It's a lovely example of Hindi projecting inner feeling onto the outer world, the way English might say a 'melancholy sky.'

Sample Sentences:

बारिश के बाद शाम बहुत उदास थी। The evening was very gloomy after the rain.

(baarish ke baad shaam bahut udaas thii।)

मेहमानों के जाने के बाद घर उदास लगता है। The house feels gloomy after the guests leave.

(mehmaanon ke jaane ke baad ghar udaas lagtaa hai।)

सर्दियों की उस उदास दोपहर में सड़कें बिल्कुल खाली थीं। On that gloomy winter afternoon, the streets were completely empty.

(sardiyon kii us udaas dopahar men sadken bilkul khaalii thiin।)

पुराना स्टेशन अब बहुत उदास हो गया है। The old station has become very gloomy now.

(puraanaa steshan ab bahut udaas ho gayaa hai।)

अगर बत्तियाँ न जलें, तो यह हॉल कितना उदास दिखेगा। If the lights aren't lit, how gloomy this hall will look.

(agar battiyaan n jalen, to yah hol kitnaa udaas dikhegaa।)

अगर मालिक ने बगीचे की देखभाल की होती, तो यह जगह इतनी उदास न होती। If the owner had taken care of the garden, this place wouldn't be so gloomy.

(agar maalik ne bagiiche kii dekhbhaal kii hotii, to yah jagah itnii udaas n hotii।)

उस उदास गली में एक टूटा-फूटा मंदिर भी था। In that gloomy lane, there was also a run-down temple.

(us udaas galii men ek tootaa-phootaa mandir bhii thaa।)

इस उदास शहर में रौशनी की कोई कमी नहीं, फिर भी सन्नाटा पसरा रहता है। There's no shortage of light in this gloomy city, yet a silence still spreads over it.

(is udaas shahar men raushnii kii koii kamii nahiin, phir bhii sannaataa pasraa rahtaa hai।)

बंद पड़ी हवेली की उदास दीवारें कुछ कहती-सी लगती थीं। The gloomy walls of the shuttered mansion seemed to say something.

(band padii havelii kii udaas diivaaren kuchh kahtii-sii lagtii thiin।)

Morphology

Adjective (invariant)

invariant: उदास (udaas)