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
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Recent Examples of doleful
Morris was closemouthed about her origins, but enumerated her various conditions with a kind of doleful enjoyment.
—
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
Adjective
-
The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two.
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The drama can stir up nostalgia and mournful emotions, and feels personal to many.
Adjective
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Day broke, bathing everything in light, and so great was the vitality of the early-morning sun that even the unhappy city seemed to smile a wan, sad smile.
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But SpringHill really took off in 2020, two seasons into James’ Lakers term, when The SpringHill Company went public (and the Lakers won the sad COVID-bubble NBA Championship).
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
Adjective
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The decade was an unhappy panorama of inflation, gas shortages, military humiliation, and revelations of political corruption.
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On Tuesday, Paul urged Americans who are unhappy with the justices’ ruling to support his proposal.
Adjective
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Relatives of a woman discovered dead by her son with her neck slashed in the lobby of her Brooklyn apartment building are appealing to the public for help with funeral expenses.
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The fundraiser ultimately raised more than $88,000 AUD (about $62,000 USD) to cover funeral expenses, household bills and Axel's future needs.
Adjective
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The pseudonymous title character, a depressed, drunken, belligerent twenty-six-year-old advice columnist, has no real hardships of his own and is cursed by doubt.
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Supergirl is a story about a depressed, super-powered woman who is pulled out of her bar-hopping to help other people and find her purpose.
Adjective
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The courtroom was packed with heartbroken supporters wanting justice for Jor'Dynn as each woman stood silent in front of the judge.
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There is nothing more evocative of a pure Love Island experience than a heartbroken rage split in costume.
Adjective
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Remarkably, La Roja have failed to win a knockout round match in their last three World Cups, but expect Lamine Yamal and company to end that miserable run today.
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But the American job market has chugged along, continuing to rebound from a miserable 2025.
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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