dolorous

adjective

ˈdō-lə-rəs How to pronounce dolorous (audio)
Definition of dolorousnext
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning dolorous ballads of death and regret

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dolorous The album’s pointed cover, showing a dolorous schoolboy gripping a phone while holding a basketball, hints at the weighty revelations contained therein. — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025 Above ground, the images are reminiscent of Bela Tarr or the particularly dolorous stretches of early Tarkovsky movies, an impression accented by the strange siren-like blares, twangs and choral interludes of Tako Zhordania’s otherwordly score. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 8 July 2023 The next evening, a lanky youth in military fatigues mumbles something less dolorous from the same podium and Llewyn can only watch from the sidelines as the audience applauds with vigour. — Hazlitt, 24 Aug. 2022 Things had changed just enough to incorporate this kind of hard, dolorous realism. — Wesley Morris, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2020 His Grammy supremacy, to the exclusion of Sheeran, shows that the dolorous guitarist no longer holds intrinsic sway over the smiling showman for the awards' purposes. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolorous
  1. mournful
  2. weeping
  3. funeral
  4. heartbroken
  5. bitter
  6. wailing
Adjective
  • But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Tender Loving Care is a gentle, mournful, funny portrait of a family whose future is shadowed by uncertainty but tries to face life with cheeriness.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of mournful
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
  • The GoFundMe, which was started to cover funeral costs, counseling and other support for the family, has raised a little over $23,000.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • 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
  • Daria’s heartbroken family declined to comment on her death Saturday.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • When Hanne, a staff member of a struggling animal rescue, unexpectedly becomes executor of a wealthy hunting family’s estate, a bitter battle over the inheritance erupts.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This bitter rivalry, which dates back to the 1960s, will see its second 2026 installment at Arrowhead Stadium in January.
    — Pete Sweeney October 5, Kansas City Star, 5 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

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Cite this Entry

“Dolorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolorous. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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