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
Angie’s grief turns even more mournful when Pat’s family members decline to honor their relationship and start taking what is emotionally and tangibly Angie’s.
—
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024
The resulting ten pieces transport listeners through a musical landscape that’s alternately mournful and menacing, contemplative and playful, but altogether emotionally evocative in a way that’s unique to his expansive body of work.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
As the sequel’s teaser trailer revealed, a children’s choir sings the Belafonte classic in a slower, more mournful fashion at the funeral of Charles Deetz (played in the original by Jeffrey Jones).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2024
Written by Stefani Robinson and boasting Brian Tyree Henry's best performance on the show, this mournful installment begins with Alfred having a waking dream about his mother, who is shown bustling about his messy home in the background, on the anniversary of her death.
—EW.com, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for mournful 
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024
The resulting ten pieces transport listeners through a musical landscape that’s alternately mournful and menacing, contemplative and playful, but altogether emotionally evocative in a way that’s unique to his expansive body of work.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
As the sequel’s teaser trailer revealed, a children’s choir sings the Belafonte classic in a slower, more mournful fashion at the funeral of Charles Deetz (played in the original by Jeffrey Jones).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2024
Written by Stefani Robinson and boasting Brian Tyree Henry's best performance on the show, this mournful installment begins with Alfred having a waking dream about his mother, who is shown bustling about his messy home in the background, on the anniversary of her death.
—EW.com, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for mournful
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mournful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mournful
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mournful. Accessed 5 Oct. 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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