mournful

adjective

mourn·​ful ˈmȯrn-fəl 

1

: expressing sorrow : sorrowful

2

: full of sorrow : sad

3

: causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy

mournfully

ˈmȯrn-fə-lē 

adverb

mournfulness noun

Synonyms

• weeping
• funeral
• heartbroken
• bitter
• grieving
• wailing
• melancholy
• sorrowful
• sad
• doleful
• anguished
• plaintive

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 atmosphere at Charlie Kirk's memorial in Glendale, Arizona, is anything but mournful. —Amanda Castro mandy Taheri peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025

So mournful the distant owl in Black Brooks. —Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025

Her powerhouse voice, singing intensely sad words, was piercing, clarion, mournful, and hopeful, all at once. —Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025

The backstory for the Bloody Mary maze follows the mournful tale of Mary Worth after the tragic death of her family. —Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mournful

• scornful

Kids 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

mournfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

mournfulness noun