Writers often use the word overcast to evoke layers of atmosphere that operate both on the literal and emotional plane. It functions as a vivid descriptor of the weather—a grey, cloudy sky that sets a tone of gloom or mystery, as when a drizzling, somber sky is noted to suggest an impending change in the day's unfolding ([1], [2], [3]). At the same time, overcast can metaphorically mirror a character’s inner turmoil or sorrow; a face or mood overcast with grief or reproach can signal shifting emotions or a deep-seated melancholy ([4], [5], [6]). Whether marking the approach of rain or symbolizing the darkening of one’s spirit, its usage in literature seamlessly blends the external world with internal states, enriching the narrative with dramatic irony and emotional subtlety ([7], [8], [9]).
- The sky, however, is generally overcast and gloomy, and sometimes a drizzling rain falls.
— from The King James Version of the Bible
- Clouds were rising from the east, and already overcast a part of the heavens.
— from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
- It was a moonless night and overcast, and the distant streetlights barely illuminated us.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
- The deepest despair began to overcast the faces of his companions.
— from A Winter Amid the Ice, and Other Thrilling Stories by Jules Verne
- Likewise, on John's offering a suggestion which didn't meet his views, his face became overcast and reproachful, as enjoining penance.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
- Pale, with a dull eye and heavy heart, all the noble features of that face, usually so calm and serene, were overcast by grief.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
- While I sat thus, I found the air overcast and grow cloudy, as if it would rain.
— from The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
- It was the first of June; yet the morning was overcast and chilly: rain beat fast on my casement.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
- Thunder was in our air, that part of nature which we are, became overcast— for we had no direction.
— from The Twilight of the Idols; or, How to Philosophize with the Hammer. The Antichrist by Nietzsche