lugubrious

adjective

lu·​gu·​bri·​ous lu̇-ˈgü-brē-əs 

 also  -ˈgyü-

1

: mournful

especially : exaggeratedly or affectedly (see affected entry 2 sense 1a) mournful

dark, dramatic and lugubrious brooding

—V. S. Pritchett

the tour de force of lugubrious cliche is ten times longer than this review

—Martin Amis

2

: dismal

a lugubrious landscape

lugubrious cello music

lugubriously adverb

lugubriousness noun

Did you know?

Lugubrious Has Latin Roots

Lugubrious is the sole surviving English offspring of Latin lugēre, meaning "to mourn." Its closest kin, luctual, an adjective meaning "sad" or "sorrowful," was put to rest centuries ago.

Synonyms

• black
• bleak
• cheerless
• chill
• Cimmerian
• cloudy
• cold
• comfortless
• dark
• darkening
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• dire
• disconsolate
• dismal
• drear
• dreary
• dreich [chiefly Scottish]
• elegiac
• elegiacal
• forlorn
• funereal
• gloomy
• glum
• godforsaken
• gray
• grey
• lonely
• lonesome
• miserable
• morbid
• morose
• murky
• plutonian
• saturnine
• sepulchral
• solemn
• somber
• sombre
• sullen
• sunless
• tenebrific
• tenebrous
• wretched

Examples of lugubrious in a Sentence

a comic actor known for his lugubrious manner

the diner's dim lighting makes eating there a particularly lugubrious experience

Recent Examples on the Web

In one of the most creative responses, U.K. actor Christopher Tester turned Trump’s words into a highly dramatic monologue set to lugubrious music. —Leslie Katz, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

The lugubrious creature surfaced next to the boat, cut across the bow, dived, then reemerged. —Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024

Their happy haberdashery stands in sharp contrast to their lugubrious lyrics. —David Holahan, Hartford Courant, 2 Feb. 2024

Nobody says surfing the web anymore, but at the time the phrase made sense as a description of the lugubrious, often frustrating task of finding entertainment. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin lugubris, from lugēre to mourn; akin to Greek lygros mournful

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

lugubrious

adjective

lu·​gu·​bri·​ous lu̇-ˈgü-brē-əs 

 also  -ˈgyü-

: mournful sense 1

especially : exaggeratedly or insincerely mournful

lugubriously adverb

lugubriousness noun