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
  • Part of it was the circumstances of his death and the mournful public procession through Brooklyn.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Whitney Houston’s powerhouse version stands alone, but Dolly’s quieter, mournful ode to her collaboration with Porter Wagoner is the artful, formative sketch to a colossal mural.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Vucic said Mladic's family will announce funeral plans in the coming days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The killings wiped out members from four generations, said Jennifer Mercer, a neighbor and family friend who set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and other expenses and was authorized to release the details.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school community was heartbroken.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Micah’s life was taken far too soon, leaving his family, friends, teammates, and community heartbroken.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • These included bitter title fights and tangles with his former teammate Nico Rosberg, plus flashpoints with Valtteri Bottas and Russell.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • At Joontos, the chefs concoct dishes such as the batata harra, which recalls patatas bravas with black lime—a pervasive, earthy-bitter top note in Saudi cuisine.
    — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 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
  • For all of the franchise’s misadventures, the Mets — led by ones who were there for that sad September in 2001 — get this right.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Let’s return, then, to La Quinta, and the saddest pizza party imaginable.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Thank god for two thinkers willing to sit and untangle our sorry state of affairs.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
  • And viewers’ mileage will certainly vary with this peculiar, fun little concoction on seclusion, connection and the need to belong that can’t hide its undercurrent of melancholy about the sorry state of a divided world.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 7 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 2026.

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