dolefulness

noun

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

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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
  1. sadness
  2. sorrow
  3. depression
  4. grief
  5. melancholy
  6. anguish
  7. mournfulness
Noun
  • Out of sadness, but also out of hope and beauty and the belief that what was missing might eventually be found.
    — Thao Thai, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
  • Corey Ruiz's mother, daughter, partner and siblings joined attorney Ben Crump, expressing their sadness and frustration about his death.
    — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • The only other person in the 21st century who might’ve had as uncanny an ability to look beneath the sordidness and sorrow of red carpets and walks of fame to find truth and even poetry might be David Lynch.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 July 2026
  • Commenters flooded Aquino’s social media accounts with support, expressing their sorrow at the news of her death.
    — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • Yet, despite the dwindling popularity of both alcohol and cigarettes, various cancers, not to mention other serious conditions like diabetes and depression, have all been on the rise—again, especially in young people.
    — Tim Brinkhof, Time, 23 July 2026
  • The stress that police officers experience is associated with higher rates of divorce, alcohol abuse, heart disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 23 July 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • The scene plays out beautifully the joy yet grief that Emmett is dealing with as an only child who has recently lost the person who was always there.
    — Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026
  • Fifteen years after the Grammy-winning singer’s death, her mother Janis Winehouse opened up about dealing with grief and her daughter’s reluctance toward success in a new interview with The i magazine.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026
Definition of grief
Noun
  • 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
  • Don Hertzfeldt occasionally comes to mind for a similarly pervasive mood of questioning, philosophical melancholy.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 June 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • But Nolan puts the anguish of the war at the center of his movie.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Yet, outside the excellently claustrophobic Trojan Horse scenes, Nolan is more interested in exploring his anguish than his spoils.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • 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
Definition of mournfulness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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dolefully
dolefulness
dole out
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Cite this Entry

“Dolefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefulness. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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