in a negative mood

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "in a negative mood" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe someone's emotional state, indicating that they are feeling unhappy or irritable. Example: "After receiving the bad news, she was clearly in a negative mood for the rest of the day."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

15 human-written examples

Thus, in a negative mood, SNS users prefer self-enhancing social comparisons to manage their mood.

Computers in Human Behavior

Participants in a negative mood solved the transfer tasks less efficiently.

Learning and Instruction

Serotonin has been implicated in other areas, like mood, and people in a negative mood may be more likely to lash out at other ethnicities.

The Guardian

Employees who were in a negative mood tended to take more frequent breaks from their duties to cope with the stress and get themselves through the day.

Harvard Business Review

Of most relevance to compulsive checking was the fact that facilitated perseveration occurred when participants were asked to undertake the tasks in a negative mood using "as many as can" stop rules.

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

"If everyone has that fixed social smile all the time, how do you know when anyone really likes you?" A study published in the November-December issue of Australasian Science found that people in a negative mood are more critical of, and pay more attention to, their surroundings than happier people, who are more likely to believe anything they are told.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

'I really don't want the children to use the session as an excuse to vent all their problems… that happened last year and meant that one or two people were dominating the group in quite a negative mood.' (Alice, 7/10/09).

Health and Place

This was counterproductive to group coherence and both artists subsequently avoided a direct approach: 'I really don't want the children to use the session as an excuse to vent all their problems… that happened last year and meant that one or two people were dominating the group in quite a negative mood.' (Alice, 7/10/09).Indirect approaches proved more constructive.

Health and Place

"A lower oil price sets the tone for the entire commodity market and drives commodity indices... lower, which creates a negative mood in the market," the Citi analysts said.

The Guardian - Business

Kappa opioid receptors have been involved in the response to drugs (cocaine, alcohol and opiates) [69] in opiate withdrawal and stress responsivity [70]; kappa agonists lower the levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and act in a counter-modulatory manner to attenuate the increase in dopamine levels [71] and induce a negative mood state [70].

Plosone

Reduced heart rate variability in chronic alcohol abuse: relationship with negative mood, chronic thought suppression, and compulsive drinking.

Nature

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider using "in a negative mood" when you want to emphasize a temporary emotional state caused by a specific event or condition.

Common error

While acceptable, "in a negative mood" can sometimes sound informal in certain academic or professional contexts. Consider using more precise or formal language to describe specific emotions.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "in a negative mood" functions as a prepositional phrase that typically modifies a verb or noun, describing the state or condition of a person or subject. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and usable nature in English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "in a negative mood" is a grammatically correct and usable English expression that describes someone experiencing unhappiness or irritability. Ludwig AI confirms this. While it's not the most frequent phrase, it appears in various contexts, particularly in science and news media, to describe emotional states affecting behavior and perceptions. When choosing whether to use "in a negative mood", consider its slightly more formal tone compared to alternatives like "in a bad mood" or "feeling down".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in a bad mood

A common and direct way to describe someone who is irritable or unpleasant.

feeling down

A more general term for feeling unhappy or sad; less intense than "in a negative mood".

in a foul mood

Implies a particularly unpleasant or angry mood.

in low spirits

Indicates a temporary state of unhappiness or despondency.

feeling blue

An idiomatic expression for feeling sad or melancholic.

out of sorts

Suggests a mild feeling of being unwell or unhappy; less specific about the emotion.

down in the dumps

An informal way to describe feeling depressed or dejected.

with a heavy heart

Describes feeling sorrowful or burdened by sadness.

under a cloud

Suggests a state of gloom or unhappiness affecting one's outlook.

in despair

Indicates a state of hopelessness and extreme unhappiness; more intense.

FAQs

What are some synonyms for "in a negative mood"?

Alternatives include "feeling down", "in low spirits", or "in a bad mood". The best choice depends on the specific context and the intensity of the emotion you want to convey.

Is it more appropriate to say "in a negative mood" or "in a bad mood"?

"In a bad mood" is generally more common and informal. "In a negative mood" is slightly more formal and can be used when you want to sound more descriptive or clinical.

How does being "in a negative mood" affect decision-making?

Research suggests that being "in a negative mood" can make people more critical and detail-oriented, potentially leading to different choices compared to when they are "in a positive mood".

What causes someone to be "in a negative mood"?

Many factors can contribute, including stress, lack of sleep, bad news, or even certain environmental conditions. The impact varies from person to person.