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

In this context, even a simple boast about wielding a Beretta sounded mournful. —Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025

Lit only by a halo-like light overhead, Wayans stares blankly at the screen, smoking a cigar — and breaking down in mournful tears. —Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025

Over the course of an hour, a virtuosic guitarist, a singer, and three dancers performed a program of mournful music and percussive dance, their faces set in serious frowns—an integral part of the performance. —Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025

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

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