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broyer du noir

feel down

Definition & meaning

Broyer du noir is a French idiom meaning to feel very gloomy, depressed, or pessimistic, often because of sadness, disappointment, loneliness, or difficult circumstances.

It literally means “to grind/crush black”, but it is not used literally in this expression.

Examples:

  • Depuis son licenciement, il broie du noir. — “He has been feeling very depressed since losing his job.”
  • Elle broie du noir depuis plusieurs jours. — “She has been feeling gloomy for several days.”

The expression usually describes a temporary state of low spirits, though the intensity depends on the context.

Grammar & Word origin

Broyer du noir is a fixed verbal expression:

  • broyer — “to grind,” “to crush,” or figuratively “to dwell on”
  • du — contraction of de le
  • noir — “black”

The verb is conjugated normally:

  • je broie du noir — “I feel gloomy”
  • tu broies du noir — “you feel gloomy”
  • il/elle broie du noir — “he/she feels gloomy”
  • nous broyons du noir — “we feel gloomy”

Historically, the color black has been associated with sadness, darkness, and mourning. The expression therefore evokes the idea of being mentally consumed by dark thoughts.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • être déprimé — “to be depressed”; more direct and potentially stronger than broyer du noir
  • avoir le cafard — “to feel down” or “to have the blues”; informal and often less intense
  • avoir des idées noires — “to have dark thoughts”; can suggest more serious or disturbing thoughts
  • se morfondre — “to languish” or “to pine away”; emphasizes prolonged sadness or inactivity

Antonyms

  • voir la vie en rose — “to see life through rose-colored glasses”; suggests an optimistic outlook
  • être de bonne humeur — “to be in a good mood”; the direct opposite in everyday emotional state
  • garder le moral — “to keep one’s spirits up”; emphasizes resilience in difficult circumstances

Common phrases & collocations

  • broyer du noir depuis plusieurs jours — “to feel gloomy for several days”
  • arrêter de broyer du noir — “to stop feeling so gloomy”
  • passer son temps à broyer du noir — “to spend one’s time feeling miserable”
  • ne plus broyer du noir — “to no longer feel gloomy”

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Examples

Elle était en train de broyer du noir avant de recevoir une bonne nouvelle.other

She was feeling down before receiving good news.

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