doleful

adjective

ˈdōl-fəl How to pronounce doleful (audio)
Definition of dolefulnext
1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning a doleful expression on their faces as they said good-bye to the friends they had made over the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness the visibly doleful players, heartbroken about their loss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of doleful The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026 Black Hills bucket-listing aside, time here is best spent tubing and fishing on the river, luxuriating in the infrared sauna, or listening to a doleful coyote song under a blanket of stars. — Ashlea Halpern, Time, 12 Mar. 2026 His doleful father, portrayed by Paul Dooley in a magically right match of performer and material, despairs for his blithely romantic son’s future. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025 Her Night Moves may have been a thriller, though its focus was less the act of environmental sabotage that its characters carried out than its doleful aftermath. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for doleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
  1. mournful
  2. sad
  3. weeping
  4. unhappy
  5. funeral
  6. depressed
  7. heartbroken
  8. miserable
Adjective
  • Part of it was the circumstances of his death and the mournful public procession through Brooklyn.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Whitney Houston’s powerhouse version stands alone, but Dolly’s quieter, mournful ode to her collaboration with Porter Wagoner is the artful, formative sketch to a colossal mural.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • For all of the franchise’s misadventures, the Mets — led by ones who were there for that sad September in 2001 — get this right.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Let’s return, then, to La Quinta, and the saddest pizza party imaginable.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • Warner and Greenlaw — close friends since San Francisco drafted Greenlaw in 2019 — were together again after both missed most of the 2025 season with injuries, Greenlaw’s coming as an unhappy member of the Denver Broncos.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • There's also the daunting task of keeping young conservatives engaged at a time when many of them are unhappy with party leaders.
    — Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • Vucic said Mladic's family will announce funeral plans in the coming days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The killings wiped out members from four generations, said Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release the details.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Quietly depressed, a wife to Reuben (Tracy Letts, Coon’s real-life partner) and mother to Ella (Bella Ramsey) and Jo (Odessa Young), Rita holds a monotonous desk job at a bank by day, and tends to her family by night as part of her humdrum routine.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Sprague conceded Clancy had mental health issues and was depressed.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school community was heartbroken.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Micah’s life was taken far too soon, leaving his family, friends, teammates, and community heartbroken.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • Trabzonspor had two bids rejected — or Saudi Arabia are over, with both countries’ transfer windows also now closed, leaving a return to Brazil as Richarlison’s only escape from a seemingly miserable situation.
    — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Cubs fans have alternated between being ecstatic and miserable, sometimes in the same inning.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

doled out
doleful
dolefully
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Cite this Entry

“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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