1
: expressing sorrow : sorrowful
2
: full of sorrow : sad
3
: causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy
mournfulness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of mournful in a Sentence
she had such a mournful expression that someone teasingly asked if her dog had died
the mournful survivors of the disaster were faced with the grim task of burying the dead
Recent Examples on the Web
Very few directors working today can put across a movie like Gladiator II as convincingly, which perhaps explains why the sequel — for all its barbaric violence and the plaintive, at times stirring, discussions about justice and democracy — doesn’t have the mournful quality that the first film did.
—
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Russell Crowe beating people to death in a soulful, mournful way?
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
His body battled against gravity—its mournful advance up each step found an echo in the lightning recoil that shot through his face and shoulders.
—Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
That undoubtedly contributes to the mournful feeling that has enveloped Númenor, which is still dealing with the death of King Tar-Palantir and the fallout of Mount Doom’s eruption, including Míriel’s loss of sight.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
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Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Russell Crowe beating people to death in a soulful, mournful way?
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
His body battled against gravity—its mournful advance up each step found an echo in the lightning recoil that shot through his face and shoulders.
—Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024
That undoubtedly contributes to the mournful feeling that has enveloped Númenor, which is still dealing with the death of King Tar-Palantir and the fallout of Mount Doom’s eruption, including Míriel’s loss of sight.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mournful
Dictionary Entries Near mournful
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mournful. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mournful
adjective
mourn·ful
ˈmō(ə)rn-fəl 
ˈmȯ(ə)rn-
1
: expressing or full of sorrow : sorrowful
a mournful face
2
: causing sorrow
a mournful story
mournfulness
noun
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