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
  • Since his siblings were crying with the same mournful expression, clinging to their father’s corpse, Shoichiro willed himself to cry too, and the tears came immediately.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But there’s something mournful, something searching about his statement, too.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman quickly produced a cartoon showing Roosevelt refusing to shoot a tiny bear cub with big sad eyes and a rope around its neck.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • These sad conventions; these American ways of being, pacing to the end of a block and back like hamsters.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 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
  • Some Democratic board members noted that voters unhappy with Lukas’ performance can express their dissatisfaction in the 2028 election.
    — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • When the motorcycle crew was unhappy with the drugs, Hinman and Beausoleil got into a confrontation.
    — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • At his San Francisco tour opener and other stops, Burke went all in on a funeral theme.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than a celebration, the film plays more like a funeral procession, or perhaps a bedside vigil for a man who has, indeed, seemingly sacrificed his life in pursuit of his art.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Some people also report low mood, irritability, or even depressed states.
    — Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Slow money growth means weak nominal growth and low inflation, which in turn keeps interest rates and bond yields depressed—and the yen weak.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of depressed
Adjective
  • Neighbors of the family told WABC they are heartbroken over the tragedy.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Followers were heartbroken that their idol had, potentially, signed away his creation.
    — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • There were fears of a delay or, at minimum, a miserable experience.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And, of course, cyclospora — that stomach parasite making people miserable across the country.
    — Rob Stein, NPR, 14 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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