Synonyms of dolefully

dolefully

adverb

as in bitterly

with feelings of bitterness or grief

the novelist dolefully remarked that the proceeds from his last book would scarcely buy a dollhouse, let alone a real house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bitterly
• sorrowfully
• sadly
• mournfully
• painfully
• ruefully
• lugubriously
• plaintively
• unhappily
• hard
• resentfully
• regretfully
• sharply
• dolorously
• harshly
• woefully
• inconsolably
• grievously
• wretchedly
• agonizingly
• sorely
• wailfully
• dejectedly
• severely
• dispiritedly
• despairingly
• despondently
• disconsolately
• glumly
• morosely
• forlornly
• hardly
• gloomily
• cheerlessly
• sullenly
• somberly
• abjectly
• distressfully
• drearily
• dismally
• miserably
• darkly
• dourly
• mirthlessly
• joylessly
• pessimistically
• blackly
• distressingly
• poignantly
• acutely
• keenly
• cruelly
• piercingly
• downheartedly
• ill
• hurtfully
• low-spiritedly
• crestfallenly
• rancorously

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happily
• joyfully
• joyously
• gladly
• cheerfully
• blissfully
• cheerily
• gaily
• merrily
• delightedly
• gleefully
• lightheartedly
• calmly
• indifferently
• impassively
• unconcernedly
• casually
• stoically
• blithely
• nonchalantly
• dispassionately
• easily
• lightly
• mirthfully
• sunnily
• good-naturedly
• rejoicingly
• favorably
• well
• blithesomely

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dolefully

There’s ample gore and jumpy moments, but the true scariness here is of the forlorn kind; leads Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play the mounting nightmare with ache and desperation, elevating the emotional tenor of a dolefully eerie movie. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026