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 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 With their large hands and expressive, doleful faces, the great apes are often depicted as the poster children for experimentation. — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 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
  • The teen’s father, Jesus Rivas, looked at the screen with a mournful expression and repeatedly checked on Martínez as their lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, sat next to them.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
  • The teen’s father, Jesus Rivas, looked at the screen with a mournful expression and repeatedly checked on his wife.
    — Nancy Dillon, VIBE.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Bao and Dani also get some votes, but Yangyang and Octavius get none, which is sad.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • But that selflessness comes to feel like the point of this lingering, resonantly sad film — above all else, an elegy for lives unseen and unknown.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 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
  • Despite the peace and goodwill following the Hundred Year War, Aang is unhappy and lonesome.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Was this about one of you being really unhappy with the streaming culture of people skipping opening credits?
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • When his funeral conflicts with Lonnie’s tee time, The Hawk texts in his eulogy between holes.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Details about the funeral arrangements for Nolan Wells, the teen who was found dead on July 6 after visiting Horn Island, Mississippi, have been released.
    — Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • The rest were overseas — many of them belonging to impoverished locals living in conflict zones or economically depressed regions where other employment options are scarce.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • The adviser told me that, even without drastically expanding the budget or upending the financial markets, Burnham could borrow a bit more to finance public-infrastructure investments and channel money to depressed regions.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • The feud shows no signs of ending, and Kate Middleton is reportedly heartbroken over it.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 18 July 2026
  • In 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh were heartbroken to learn that hundreds of rare books, art prints and maps worth more than $8 million had been purloined from its rare books room.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • Madrid’s World Cup players gradually began to return as their countries’ campaigns came to an end, including Federico Valverde after Uruguay’s miserable group-stage exit.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb will make life miserable for opposing secondaries.
    — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of miserable

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doleful
dolefully
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Cite this Entry

“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of doleful for Spanish Speakers

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