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
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On the OpenAI community forums and Reddit, long-time chatters are expressing sorrow at losing access to models like GPT-4o.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025 -
As images of starving children in Gaza continue to circulate and the international outcry grows louder, a number of American rabbis used their pulpits to speak up about the humanitarian crisis, some with sorrow, others with moral urgency, and many with a sense that silence was no longer tenable.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Forecasters said in an Aug. 18 advisory that environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the latter part of this week.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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The hurricane center has already identified a tropical wave behind Erin that has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm within the next seven days.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The flood tied together the grief of not only the Hunt and Kerrville school districts, but of all Central Texas.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
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Inspired by the director’s late friend Valentina, the film offers a personal perspective on grief and closure.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The play fictionalizes the characters somewhat but adds a heavily involved editor character and creates the same sense of personal anguish and argumentativeness live.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
20 Aug. 2025
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The pathway to extremism moves from that sense of anguish to something much larger.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
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More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dolefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefulness. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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