1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
a doleful expression on their faces as they said good-bye to the friends they had made over the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the visibly doleful players, heartbroken about their loss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of doleful
Where the Sea Change version sounds doleful, the new orchestration sounded almost hopeful with strings that glide over the chords and a perky piccolo poking through the musical ceiling.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2024
The record’s doleful orchestral compositions feature contributions from Ishibashi’s longtime musical partner Jim O’Rourke.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 June 2024
But those doleful practical consequences are all around us.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 25 June 2024
In a doleful irony, his digital rerecording of the piece, taken at a more stately tempo and with other changes, would be the last Gould album released by Columbia before his untimely death at age 50 in 1982.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2024
The record’s doleful orchestral compositions feature contributions from Ishibashi’s longtime musical partner Jim O’Rourke.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 June 2024
But those doleful practical consequences are all around us.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 25 June 2024
In a doleful irony, his digital rerecording of the piece, taken at a more stately tempo and with other changes, would be the last Gould album released by Columbia before his untimely death at age 50 in 1982.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
Adjective
-
Brown’s sound design mixes Sousa-like military fanfares with mournful underscoring for Lavinia’s tragedy, neither of which has much to do with Kidwell’s preshow music.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Chaos quickly unfolds when the bickering, different-strokes twins find the calamitous heirloom—although Perkins keeps the first act mostly mournful, as the boys struggle with the onslaught of death around them.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Especially sad is the case of Netta, one of Liat’s three children, who survived the attack.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The range of weapons and passive abilities that drop from major enemies just encourage different playstyles, rather than shoving you into a sad corner full of regrets.—
Josh Broadwell,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
Many previous Trump advisers, including Mr. Bolton, have tried to contain Mr. Trump, with unhappy results.—
Michael Crowley,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Thus, Amazon knows there won't be a raft of unhappy customers complaining about losing their apps.—
Ryan Whitwam,
Ars Technica,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Their son Donny attended to all of the funeral arrangements with the help of his wife Jan, a nurse, and his daughters Andrea and Alicia.—
Phil Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
-
The funeral mass in Quincy’s Sacred Heart Church will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Mass layoffs in the Beltway could force some residents to put their homes up for sale at depressed values, denting the real estate market.—
Matt Egan and Alicia Wallace,
CNN,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Feingold, who has been in practice for more than 30 years specializing in women’s reproductive health, believes the hospital should have given Pike a mental health evaluation after her confession of feeling depressed and self-harm at Destinii’s birth.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The record for the shortest Oscar-winning performance goes to Beatrice Straight, who played the heartbroken wife of a philandering TV station president in Sidney Lumet’s 1976 film Network.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Listen to this article Skokie restaurateurs were left heartbroken on Valentine’s Day when a broken water main disaster in northeastern Skokie left the village without drinkable tap water from Feb. 14 through 16.—
Richard Requena,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s no sugarcoating it: Being sick can be miserable.—
Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Feb. 2025
-
The way McAvoy used his great stick and heavy body to make life miserable for Canadians, including his Bruins teammate, Brad Marchand.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share