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
Relevance
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
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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
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The accident also caused other issues, including her short-term memory and balance, and led to a bout of depression.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Black people experience higher levels of early-life post-traumatic stress than white people and are more likely to suffer from chronic depression later in life.—
Jerel Ezell,
STAT,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
That last sentence comes out choked with anguish, his voice breaking on the final word.—
Amy Driscoll,
Miami Herald,
3 May 2026
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The $10 million in noneconomic damages was for issues including pain and suffering and mental anguish.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
29 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 4 May. 2026.
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