funereal
adjective
fu·ne·re·al
fyu̇-ˈnir-ē-əl 
1
: of or relating to a funeral
2
: befitting or suggesting a funeral (as in solemnity)
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
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morbid
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Examples of funereal in a Sentence
shivered with cold in the dark and funereal Victorian mansion
Recent Examples on the Web
The mood on the Croisette this year is practically funereal.
—
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Apr. 2024
Celine, on the other hand, never strays from her palette of cerulean (very Devil Wears Prada), chocolate and funereal black.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
The decision to reclaim funereal black may have been sparked by her determination to shuck off the shackles of mourning.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
The whole thing managed to repackage the hyper-feminine clichés beloved by #coquettes as something dark and mysterious and even funereal.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2024
The music never gets very loud or very soft, fast, or high: The mood is politely mournful, the pace a frequently funereal trudge.
—An Epic Set, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2024
The Golden Globes are traditionally known as the biggest party in Hollywood, but Rosamund Pike's look at the 2024 awards was a little more funereal than celebratory.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2024
Apart from the movers, and the booms of Israeli artillery fired toward Gaza, a funereal stillness sits over this small community, whose name has become synonymous with the ravages of Oct. 7.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023
In Shostakovich’s theatrically emphatic setting, the music oscillates threateningly between a plodding, funereal grind and a crazed dance infused with bitter irony.
—John Adams, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Apr. 2024
Celine, on the other hand, never strays from her palette of cerulean (very Devil Wears Prada), chocolate and funereal black.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
The decision to reclaim funereal black may have been sparked by her determination to shuck off the shackles of mourning.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
The whole thing managed to repackage the hyper-feminine clichés beloved by #coquettes as something dark and mysterious and even funereal.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2024
The music never gets very loud or very soft, fast, or high: The mood is politely mournful, the pace a frequently funereal trudge.
—An Epic Set, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2024
The Golden Globes are traditionally known as the biggest party in Hollywood, but Rosamund Pike's look at the 2024 awards was a little more funereal than celebratory.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 8 Jan. 2024
Apart from the movers, and the booms of Israeli artillery fired toward Gaza, a funereal stillness sits over this small community, whose name has become synonymous with the ravages of Oct. 7.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023
In Shostakovich’s theatrically emphatic setting, the music oscillates threateningly between a plodding, funereal grind and a crazed dance infused with bitter irony.
—John Adams, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'funereal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near funereal
Cite this Entry
“Funereal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funereal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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