しゅんと

Type: Mimetic word (gitaigo) describing an emotional state.

Visual image: The sound suggests something deflating - drooping shoulders, a lowered head, energy going out of a person all at once.

Common triggers: being scolded, disappointment, rejection, failure, bad news.

Common patterns

• しゅんとなる - to become dejected
• しゅんとしている - to be in a dejected state
• しゅんとした + noun - with a dejected expression or manner

Similar words

• がっかり - disappointed (focuses on the letdown itself)
• しょんぼり - dejectedly, forlornly (a lasting sad state)
• うなだれる - to hang one's head (the physical gesture)
• 元気(げんき)がない - lacking energy (plainest wording)
• しゅんと: deflated, visibly dejected
• けろっと: nonchalant, unaffected - the opposite reaction

Often used for: children after a scolding, pets (dogs especially), and anyone who has just had bad news.