1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
adopted a sorrowful tone of voice to read the news story about the former governor's death
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the cult seemed to be a sorrowful assemblage of emotionally scarred people seeking love and redemption
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sorrowful
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
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
Kopitar then led the annual sorrowful handshake line with the Edmonton Oilers.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
New York Times, 3 May 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
Kopitar then led the annual sorrowful handshake line with the Edmonton Oilers.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful
Adjective
-
Just over two weeks after the death of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, the metal legend’s youngest child, Jack Osbourne, shared a mournful tribute on Instagram.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Ortega’s deadpan remains impeccable and her mournful gaze allows for viewer projection that goes beyond anything on the page, but Wednesday too often comes across as a piece of an ensemble at this point.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Charlotte Lawrence loves a good, gut-wrenching, sad song.—
Leah Lu,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Unfortunately, between the time of the taping and the show release, sad news came to Mike Kimmel’s team.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Aug. 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
-
As with almost any change, some residents were unhappy, mostly about being told to slow down.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
-
President Donald Trump was unhappy with July’s U.S. jobs report, which showed hiring slowing (with 73,000 jobs added, compared to 100,000 predicted) and revised past months’ numbers.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the feline escaped unscathed, Lex admitted the incident left her heartbroken.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
That’s not to say Moore wasn’t heartbroken or incredibly stressed out during the wildfires.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That view shifted Wednesday, with our double upgrade back to our buy-equivalent 1 rating after CEO David Ricks and several other company insiders bought lots of shares of the depressed stock.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Once rich and chubby and depressed, Johnson is now, at forty-seven, rich and ripped and determined to live forever.—
Tad Friend,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
When Ozzy Osbourne was honored with a funeral procession that snaked through his hometown of Birmingham, fans covered the Black Sabbath bridge and bench with flowers, artwork, personal messages, merchandise, and more.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Fans flocked to the streets of Birmingham on July 30 for a funeral procession for Osbourne, who was later laid to rest in a private family ceremony in the city.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Daphne, miserable at boarding school; Bea, unhappy at home.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
-
For years, parents faced a choice between exposing their kids to unknown dangers on social-media platforms or fighting a constant battle that would leave their kids isolated and miserable.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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