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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the visibly doleful players, heartbroken about their loss
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doleful
Krauss’s ethereal voice is as haunting as ever on this mournful ballad, where doleful lyrics look back on a time marked by regret and deceit, and get elevated by the elegant interplay between Krauss’ voice and Jerry Douglas’s soul-piercing steel guitar.
—
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025
Self-contained in a suit and clad by ironic distance, the unnamed sort calls to mind all the doleful observers that have traipsed across the screen since il cinema went modern, highlighting a weakness of a film that could benefit from a touch more idiosyncrasy.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024
These scenes are very often fun, filthy, hot, and, frankly, a relief after so much doleful, droopy coupling.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025
Self-contained in a suit and clad by ironic distance, the unnamed sort calls to mind all the doleful observers that have traipsed across the screen since il cinema went modern, highlighting a weakness of a film that could benefit from a touch more idiosyncrasy.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2024
These scenes are very often fun, filthy, hot, and, frankly, a relief after so much doleful, droopy coupling.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
Adjective
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At the vigil, the atmosphere appeared to be both mournful and celebratory of Scooter’s life.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Season four will be the last for The Righteous Gemstones, and there are signs in this mournful (and vulgar/hilarious) episode that this extremely American empire may be going the way of Kelvin’s treehouse.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Though the courts have not invariably ruled against Trump, the Administration’s record so far is, to use one of the President’s favorite words, sad.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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The sad story of Alex Verdugo was one of the most puzzling dramas of the MLB offseason.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
Despite his close relationship with Trump, Elon Musk is unhappy about tariffs, which stand to hurt the business empire of the world’s richest man.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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There have even been reports of police being called to deal with the rowdy behavior, not to mention some theater employees who are unhappy about the cleanup required.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The squads will rotate funeral duty to maintain their health.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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Many of the items had been burned, suggesting that they might have been torched upon a funeral pyre, but no human remains were found amid the assemblage.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The detective here, blending a couple of characters from the book, is Inspector Leach, a depressed drinker so unkempt one wonders why he hasn’t been put on administrative leave.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2025
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To my dismay, the leader started feeling depressed rather than taking the actions that were most required.—
Sonal Jain,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Downs recovered from her injuries but remained heartbroken over the loss of her friends and overwhelmed with survivor's guilt.—
Laurel Morales,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
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King was on an errand to pick up a snack for his mom when he was shot, heartbroken relatives said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Before Minecraft, the turnout for major films at the box office has been middling to miserable.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Daryl was born in 1952, four years after the club’s last championship and just in time for four decades of miserable baseball on the lakeshore.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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