as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the decrepit mansion had a sepulchral tone that gave everyone a chill
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sepulchral
For the occasion, the Shed’s Griffin Theater greets guests with an antechamber cast in sepulchral light and hung with wall size images from Sakamoto’s life.
—
Max Lakin, New York Times, 25 June 2023
The lighting is sepulchral, the air dank.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2020
Wolverine Blues saw Swedish death-metal pioneers Entombed slowing down and adding a rock and roll swagger to their grisly, sepulchral sound, and in the process realizing some of their most memorable material.
—Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
Morse was tall and thin and as gray and sepulchral as a church about to be condemned.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sepulchral
Max Lakin, New York Times, 25 June 2023
The lighting is sepulchral, the air dank.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2020
Wolverine Blues saw Swedish death-metal pioneers Entombed slowing down and adding a rock and roll swagger to their grisly, sepulchral sound, and in the process realizing some of their most memorable material.
—Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
Morse was tall and thin and as gray and sepulchral as a church about to be condemned.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 2 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sepulchral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sepulchral
Adjective
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Party leaders asked their members ahead of the address to maintain a dignified and somber presence in the chamber during Trump's speech.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2025
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The mix of Black trauma and White philanthropy created a peculiar vibe in the event space, at once somber and thrilling, mournful and hopeful.—
Nicholas Lalla,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Even the relatively staid premiere stole a handful of grim chuckles thanks to its guest star’s exceedingly blasé delivery of impossibly bleak news.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025
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Yet if Mickey’s life is suffocatingly bleak, Mickey 17 is anything but.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
An open-wide view is way more important than a dark sky.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The fire broke out when the bus was on the corner of Cambridge and Northampton roads in the Cleveland area, filling the suburban street with a dark cloud of smoke.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Researchers were surprised that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par or even more significant than the reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2025
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Tragically, they are killed by their mother, who drowns them in a manic depressive episode while their father is away on business.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This powerful film tells of the friendship between a young man and a peasant farmer who has devoted his life to planting trees throughout his desolate homeland.—
Jeremy Fassler,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
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Orphaned at 3 years old and robbed of her fortune, she’s dragged aboard a ship sailing for New France by her guardian, only to be abandoned on a desolate island.—
Staff,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Another remembers her lonely childhood with a single mother and resolved it with a partner from a large family and three children.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
5 Mar. 2025
-
This distinction is important: your parent might live alone without feeling isolated, or conversely, feel lonely despite being surrounded by people.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Catholic Church opened the solemn Lenten season without the pope's participation.—
Bradford Betz,
Fox News,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Pope Misses Start of Lent The Catholic Church began the solemn Lenten season on Wednesday without Pope Francis because of his ongoing hospitalization.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That depressing fact gets reiterated many times, without much variation or additional insight, during Running Point’s 10-episode season.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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In this new techno-dating reality, the number of fights sparked by clothes being left on the floor would dramatically decrease, instead being replaced by not-at-all depressing scenes of men standing alone in their apartments talking to a speaker.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sepulchral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sepulchral. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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