depressed [L, deprimere, to press down] , 1. pertaining to a body structure that has been forced below the surface of surrounding parts, as in a skull fracture. 2. pertaining to a condition in which general body activity is diminished, as in depressed urine output during dehydration. 3. (Informal) pertaining to an emotional condition characterized by emotional dejection, loss of initiative, listlessness, loss of appetite, and concentration difficulty. See also depression. 4. adj., (in psychiatry) the experience of a person diagnosed with depression, characterized by five or more specific symptoms of depression lasting for 2 or more weeks.