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
  • Unfortunately, the disembodied feet on my aunt’s staircase were my last spectral sighting and the mournful whistling was my last haunting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part docuseries, out October 27 on Netflix, is more of a celebration of celebrate Perry’s life instead of a mournful tribute or true crime drama about his death and the headline-making trial that followed.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 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
  • Spanning 30,500 square feet, the museum houses 19 permanent exhibits that explore everything from presidential and papal funerals to historic hearses, cremation, mourning traditions, and funeral customs from around the world.
    — Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Jenson launched a GoFundMe to raise money to cover funeral expenses and provide for Ty.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of funeral
Adjective
  • The victim’s heartbroken father said his son had been bullied by a couple of students at the school who were recently suspended — and believes the bullying may have something to do with Javits’ murder.
    — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The death of Sir Patrick Stewart has left Hollywood heartbroken as his co-stars, colleagues, and fellow actors recall rare encounters, days on set, and priceless advice the acting legend shared with them.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • The Daily Caller is clearly positioning itself for a landscape not just post-midterms but post- Trump, and for a bitter and intensifying intra-party media battle.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Without that delicate balance, the character could have come off as too bitter, on one end of the spectrum, or too tragic.
    — Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 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 3 Nov. 2026.

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