1
: full of grief : cheerless
a doleful face
2
: expressing grief : sad
a doleful melody
3
: causing grief or affliction
a doleful loss
dolefulness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of doleful in a Sentence
The girl had a doleful look on her face.
You sounded so doleful about your future that night.
Recent Examples on the Web
With his bulldog build and his doleful countenance, Mr. Young amassed more than 160 film and television credits.
—
Alex Williams, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
The elderly sage was cast as a doleful penitent, making up for youthful indiscretions.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
At the same time, videos of men weeping are embedded in barber chair headrests, and a life-size, near-nude statue of a doleful San Lazaro, patron of healing, presides over all, buff of physique but blemished with sores.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 13 July 2023
Those issues were mentioned fleetingly, if at all, in Trump’s doleful address.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2023
Hong played a doleful, arpeggiated accompaniment.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021
Its veneer of prestige television still seems forced, as the doleful soundtrack and sophisticated period design mask a lurking sense of pointlessness.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Mar. 2023
Her choice of the bloom solidified the flower’s reputation as rarefied and majestic, if a little doleful.
—Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
In the locker room after the Miami Dolphins had wrought their swift carnage before a shellshocked crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, Ravens defensive backs spoke in doleful tones about communication lapses and urgent fixes.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2022
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Alex Williams, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
The elderly sage was cast as a doleful penitent, making up for youthful indiscretions.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
At the same time, videos of men weeping are embedded in barber chair headrests, and a life-size, near-nude statue of a doleful San Lazaro, patron of healing, presides over all, buff of physique but blemished with sores.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 13 July 2023
Those issues were mentioned fleetingly, if at all, in Trump’s doleful address.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2023
Hong played a doleful, arpeggiated accompaniment.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021
Its veneer of prestige television still seems forced, as the doleful soundtrack and sophisticated period design mask a lurking sense of pointlessness.
—Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Mar. 2023
Her choice of the bloom solidified the flower’s reputation as rarefied and majestic, if a little doleful.
—Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
In the locker room after the Miami Dolphins had wrought their swift carnage before a shellshocked crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, Ravens defensive backs spoke in doleful tones about communication lapses and urgent fixes.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doleful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
see dole entry 1
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of doleful was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near doleful
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doleful. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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