mournful

mourn·ful | \ ˈmȯrn-fəl

How to pronounce mournful (audio)

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Definition of mournful

1 : expressing sorrow : sorrowful

2 : full of sorrow : sad

3 : causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy

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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 But this year, the memorial services took on an even more mournful tone, as those at the historic Navy base also stopped to remember two colleagues shot to death there days earlier. — Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, "Pearl Harbor remembers victims of Dec. 7 attack, and those of earlier this week," 7 Dec. 2019 If the game ends in defeat, the block grows quiet and mournful. — Sam Whiting, SFChronicle.com, "Living among the 49ers faithful on one short block of the Mission," 30 Jan. 2020 Monday’s day-after coverage was better, steadily mournful and thoughtful, even if the news still didn’t seem quite real. — Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, "How did the media report Kobe Bryant’s death? With confusion and misinformation, to start," 28 Jan. 2020 Ken Starr at no point in this, dramatic at times, mournful opening explained in any factual or legal way what's different. — TheWeek, "MSNBC's Ari Melber: 'We just watched Ken Starr punch himself in the face'," 28 Jan. 2020 High-concept space films have been known to perform powerfully in China, but the mournful mood and somewhat slow pacing of Brady Grey's artful epic could test the market's patience. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, "China Box Office: 'Frozen 2' Climbs Toward $100M, 'Knives Out' Nabs $13.5M," 2 Dec. 2019 Expect, by turns, orgiastic, mournful, darkly funny and relentlessly compelling sets. — John Wenzel, The Know, "The best New Year’s Eve 2019 live music to see in Denver and beyond," 19 Dec. 2019 The overall ambience is commensurate with its price, although two-tone touches throughout the cabin liven the mournful black mood. — Larry Printz, chicagotribune.com, "The least popular car in America is practical and affordable. So why isn’t it selling?," 6 Dec. 2019 The women appear in vibrant colors, with unique features — a bob haircut, lush lips, narrow nose, mournful eyes. — Los Angeles Times, "A Texas Ranger got a prolific serial killer to talk. This is how," 26 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mournful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near mournful

Mourne Mountains

mourners' bench

Statistics for mournful

Last Updated

20 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mournful. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for mournful

mournful

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of mournful

: full of sorrow : very sad

See the full definition for mournful in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mournful

mourn·ful | \ ˈmȯrn-fəl

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Kids Definition of mournful

1 : full of sorrow or sadness a mournful face

2 : causing sorrow mournful news

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