as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
shivered with cold in the dark and funereal Victorian mansion
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Recent Examples of funereal
The photograph feels funereal but rich, somehow—evocative of the days when Edith Wharton’s troubled characters tried to hide from others’ eyes, while the carriage horses clopped along, each step as heavy as destiny.
—
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
The mood around the JBX Talks conference this week was funereal.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Mar. 2026
Losing a half-billion dollars The annual meeting of the California Canning Peach Association typically celebrates the history and future of the industry, but a funereal tone shrouded this year’s event, the 104th installment.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for funereal
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
The album opens with droning, distorted guitars, a funereal chug enlivened by unexpectedly gargantuan drums.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
The mood around the JBX Talks conference this week was funereal.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Mar. 2026
Losing a half-billion dollars The annual meeting of the California Canning Peach Association typically celebrates the history and future of the industry, but a funereal tone shrouded this year’s event, the 104th installment.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for funereal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for funereal
Adjective
-
On a somber night in Las Vegas, a feeling far too common for far too many in this city, Landeskog talked through the pain.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
-
The somber moment at the Coca-Cola 600 came one day after Kyle's family shared his cause of death.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Opponents argue the arch would obstruct the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, disrupt a solemn military landscape, and require congressional authorization because it would be built on federal land.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2026
-
This solemn rite is a common sight in the rural South, so the locals extended a little grace to the mourning mass, creating a midday traffic jam on the town’s Main Street.—
Theodore R. Johnson,
Washington Post,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
For years, radical climate activists have painted a bleak view of the future.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Almost a year out to sea is very depressing.—
Steve Walsh,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
Some sendoffs are mundane; others are downright depressing.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
If the second section presents the diagnosis, then in the footnote to Howl Ginsberg writes a prescription, because if we’re oppressed by a dark faith then the only antidote is a different one.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Villains could hide in the giant banyan tree or lurk in the spookily dark new flotation room; a fight scene might involve someone crashing down the waterfall-wall in the centre of the wellness centre.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The den resembles the room of someone who is stuck in a depressive rut, like Clark.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Most deaths are caused by substance use disorders and depressive disorders.—
Yenupini Joyce Adams,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Its trio, a lonely fox-deer, an axolotl apprentice healer and a red panda Viking, travel through a darkening natural world as the series folds identity, belonging and environmental crisis.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Brunson is hardly a lonely talent.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Funereal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/funereal. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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