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
-
The scene where Artax the horse gets stuck in the swamps of sadness?—
Redazione People,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026 -
Family members said it’s been a long road of frustration, agony and sadness watching Hitchcock’s death sentences get overturned three times amid the nearly a dozen appeals his attorneys have filed over the decades.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unique is meant to embody that racial trauma, but Moore doesn’t possess the grit necessary to make the pain and sorrow resonate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The reader feels the moment’s vitality and presence, and the sorrow at its loss, but not because Ford insists on it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And some experience the emotional toll of a disability or chronic pain that can often lead to depression.—
Mike Flynn,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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That study, which included doses of magnesium to mitigate any cardiac issues, found significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms after treatment.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Though Hathaway’s performance registers the harrowing contradictions of grief responses, the movie around her lacks the confidence to go darker.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Though attendees are visibly upset, there is no open casket, eulogy or any harping on grief.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
He was injured and absent from the squad that lost the Championship play-off final here two years ago, but, on this occasion, he would not be spared that especially severe kind of anguish under the arch.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Yet, Seth and Bynum are skeptical of Herold, whose torment and anguish cloaks him better than his long grey coat.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His reputation, as captured by obituaries in the Guardian and the Times of London, is one of genteel melancholy and precise social observation.—
Charlie Tyson,
Harpers Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
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Still, the achievement carried a touch of melancholy for Lovell.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dolefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefulness. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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