1
: expressing sorrow : sorrowful
a mournful face
a mournful howl
2
: full of sorrow : sad
a mournful occasion
3
: causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy
mournful news
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
Edgerton captures the essence of sorrow like lightning bugs in a jar; his sadness isn’t a dark, overbearing thing, but a source of gentle, mournful light.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Armando Solimões, the mournful-eyed central character played by Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent, isn’t a government operative, despite the title of the film.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
The Fitzgerald's final moments shrouded in mystery, Lightfoot's mournful song, the number of lives lost, and the size of the ship alone led her to quickly become the most famous shipwreck in Michigan.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The zebras pranced, all frisky energy; the elephants, lumbering and mournful, trailed behind with their ancient thoughts.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
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Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Armando Solimões, the mournful-eyed central character played by Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent, isn’t a government operative, despite the title of the film.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
The Fitzgerald's final moments shrouded in mystery, Lightfoot's mournful song, the number of lives lost, and the size of the ship alone led her to quickly become the most famous shipwreck in Michigan.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The zebras pranced, all frisky energy; the elephants, lumbering and mournful, trailed behind with their ancient thoughts.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 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 14 Dec. 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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