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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of doleful
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
James, with his doleful countenance, makes the adult Hal vaguely sympathetic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Krauss’s ethereal voice is as haunting as ever on this mournful ballad, where doleful lyrics look back on a time marked by regret and deceit, and get elevated by the elegant interplay between Krauss’ voice and Jerry Douglas’s soul-piercing steel guitar.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025
The song begins with Iommi’s signature doleful blues soloing before kicking into a doomy groove.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 13 May 2025
James, with his doleful countenance, makes the adult Hal vaguely sympathetic.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Krauss’s ethereal voice is as haunting as ever on this mournful ballad, where doleful lyrics look back on a time marked by regret and deceit, and get elevated by the elegant interplay between Krauss’ voice and Jerry Douglas’s soul-piercing steel guitar.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 3 Feb. 2025
The song begins with Iommi’s signature doleful blues soloing before kicking into a doomy groove.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
Adjective
-
His face, always stationed somewhere halfway to hangdog, seems to gain 20 new creases carved deep into his skin, accentuating his mournful eyes and his excruciated, heartbroken smile.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Her music choices, mournful and dreamy, also add a sense of significance.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
All our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this incredibly sad time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
That was very sad that Soft Cell’s Dave Ball died at just 66.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
-
Fast-forward to the April 7 special election brought to a ballot by residents unhappy with the changes.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
-
One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the most famous artists in the world, Anselm Kiefer, installed a funeral pyre of nearly 300 of his works at Marian Goodman on West 57th Street, one of the more prestigious galleries at the time.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This fascinating doc explores the dilemma now facing the funeral industry and the many inventive solutions being pioneered.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The father, Jagdish, told me that one of his children was vomiting and the other had bloody stools; both were depressed.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
So why are young Americans so depressed about their economic future?—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The singer's brother Eric Stefani wrote the first version, and modified it with help from a freshly heartbroken Gwen, who had just broken up with the band's bassist Tony Kanal — one of a few times in music history that the subject of the song also contributed to its production.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
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Jamel Davis’ longtime live-in girlfriend first asked her son to stop smoking in the family’s home in the Walt Whitman Houses near Fort Greene Park, sparking a fight, according to the slain man’s heartbroken brother.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Murray made three throws in the first quarter to keep the Nuggets tethered after a miserable 6-for-22 effort from the field.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
-
And that is exactly what the season proved to be for the third-year forward, a growth curve after a miserable sophomore season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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