hangdog

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The Lowdown” tames Lee’s mania for his cause through the barely obscured current of hangdog defeat weakly powering his personal life.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025

Once he starts singing his own material, he becomes a bona fide rock star — a moody Elvis who straddles rock, country, folk and pop with a hangdog bravura.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

A four-star review from The Telegraph praised McKellen, and said his performance "stirs the soul" as he plunges "from sackswilling, swaggering cheer to hangdog melancholy".

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2024

And again, Sandler channels a hangdog torpor, almost a melancholic air, in a performance that bristles with comic realism.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2023

The swineherd later on will take me down the port-side trail—a beggar, by my looks, hangdog and old.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer