Gloomy depression's beginning to lift (5)

I believe the answer is:

drear

'gloomy' is the definition.
(I know that gloomy can be written as drear)

'depression's beginning to lift' is the wordplay.
'beginning to' indicates taking the first letters.
'lift' becomes 'rear' (synonyms).
The initial letter of 'depressions' is 'd'.
'd'+'rear'='DREAR'

(Other definitions for drear that I've seen before include "Cheerless (literary)" , "Gloomy and cheerless" , "Dismal, dull" , "miserable" , "Poetic dull and uninteresting" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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