dolesome

adjective

ˈdōl-səm How to pronounce dolesome (audio)
Definition of dolesomenext
as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning the dolesome sound of a lone harmonica arising from the darkened encampment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolesome
  1. weeping
  2. mournful
  3. funeral
  4. heartbroken
  5. bitter
  6. wailing
  7. sad
  8. sorry
Adjective
  • And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
    — David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • East Suffolk, a windblown span of marshy coastland, has a reputation for stark, mournful beauty, and for drawing creative people with a taste for isolation and escape.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • And after Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024, dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • One Chicago priest dying from cancer was denied a funeral mass at her longtime parish.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The GoFundMe organizer said the family was seeking help covering funeral expenses for Stone and her children.
    — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • While mourning her father, the heartbroken Sara uses a piece of chalk to draw a circle on the floor of the attic resembling the one Rama creates to protect Sita.
    — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • In the ensuing decade, lawyers at Texas Instruments and at Fairchild fought a bitter court battle over the patent.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • And as a bitter midterm campaign season enters its final weeks, Bouchon and Goldhirsh understand the stakes.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitter
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Adjective
  • When the modern-day world has nothing to offer us but AI slop, shrinkflation and a sad acceptance that we can't be bothered to do anything about global warming.
    — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • This island that was so fantastic has become Work Island and that’s sad.
    — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The decline of Capra, in the wake of the Second World War, was a sorry spectacle.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, families will relax in peace knowing the secret isn’t out on Noirmoutier (until now—sorry).
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of sorry
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.

Browse Nearby Words

doles
dolesome
doles out
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Cite this Entry

“Dolesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolesome. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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