1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
with the resigned dolefulness of an athlete who knows his playing days are over, he cleared out his locker for the last time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
a period of dolefulness that seemed to last forever for the widower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolefulness
Noun
-
His profound sadness and rage give the audience permission to feel similarly.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026 -
The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Noun
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But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
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At times the longing feels sweet and the search like a little sorrow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
Noun
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His high point will be long forgotten, disastrously undone by his successor to plunge the world into recession, if not depression.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
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Tasks can include smelling dangerously high or low glucose levels, smelling mood swings, anxiety and depression, smelling an impending seizure and many other tasks.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The emotion of the World Cup The USA often gets a lot of grief for not being a proper soccer-playing nation.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Amid the grief, people are finding a way forward, and Colin and Sophie Hortman gave Minnesotans the blueprint.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
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Early Years Eichenberg recounted his childhood with some melancholy.—
Jessica George,
JSTOR Daily,
27 May 2026
Noun
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There followed a series of European successes (Italy, Spain, Germany, France) before the anguish, for Brazilians, of seeing big South American rivals Argentina win a third world title in Qatar four years ago.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
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Its revivification of history — staged simply and vaulted to extremes of anguish and tension by its fine acting — is both chilling and, in a sharp, icky way, often funny.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dolefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefulness. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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