1
: expressing sorrow : sorrowful
2
: full of sorrow : sad
3
: causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy
mournfulness
noun
Examples of mournful in a Sentence
she had such a mournful expression that someone teasingly asked if her dog had died
the mournful survivors of the disaster were faced with the grim task of burying the dead
Recent Examples on the Web
The band played somber hymns marking Good Friday, a mournful day during Holy Week.
—
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
At the vigil, the atmosphere appeared to be both mournful and celebratory of Scooter’s life.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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
Aselton plays Erin, whose mood at first veers with annoying abruptness between mournful and happy.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
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Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
At the vigil, the atmosphere appeared to be both mournful and celebratory of Scooter’s life.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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
Aselton plays Erin, whose mood at first veers with annoying abruptness between mournful and happy.
—Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mournful. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mournful
adjective
mourn·ful
ˈmō(ə)rn-fəl 
ˈmȯ(ə)rn-
1
: expressing or full of sorrow : sorrowful
a mournful face
2
: causing sorrow
a mournful story
mournfulness
noun
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