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as in sad
feeling unhappiness the cult seemed to be a sorrowful assemblage of emotionally scarred people seeking love and redemption

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 sorrowful The dog's sorrowful face captured attention online, as internet users were horrified at what happened to such an old pup. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025 Other setbacks, while less painful, were no less sorrowful. David Litt june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025 John says some rather swoon-worthy but also sorrowful lines. Carlos Aguilar, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2025 Members include a vicar with a lurid fantasy life, a clever and stifled housewife, a sorrowful retired accountant and a blowhard. New York Times, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful
Adjective
  • Lush cellos and mournful piano trills coexist with the overall less-is-more sound.
    Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Similarly, the discreetly mournful compositions of Giorgio Matteo and Aki Oliviero’s score hover politely on the periphery of the (in)action, careful not to intrude.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This one is trickier and sadder to think about.
    Brian Welk, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Composite image created by Newsweek shows two older people looking worried and a piggy bank with a sad face on its side.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 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
  • My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.
    Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But few seemed to leave unhappy.
    Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • And utterly heartbroken for Charlie’s young family.
    Amanda Castro Gabe Whisnant Anna Commander Toby Meyjes Shane Croucher John Feng Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The woman noted that canceling the shower has left her heartbroken.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Unemployment has stayed relatively low in part because of dampened demand for workers as well as a depressed supply (people aging out of the workforce as well as reductions in immigrant workers).
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This time producer Brad Ingelsby tapped Mark Ruffalo as a depressed and traumatized FBI agent leading a task force investigating a series of home invasions targeting drug dens in the area.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Her family is raising money to cover funeral expenses.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Following the boy’s death, donors raised about $30,000 in a GoFundMe campaign launched to help with funeral expenses.
    Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These behaviors create miserable workplace cultures that lead to a big retention and employee engagement problem.
    Ellen Whitlock Baker, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But the Broncos will look to confuse him with multiple looks and make the Titans one dimensional to make his life miserable.
    Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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