1
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the diner's dim lighting makes eating there a particularly lugubrious experience
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
in Victorian times, people who could affect particularly lugubrious expressions were hired to march in funeral processions as professional mourners
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lugubrious
In one lugubrious sequence in which various members of Willie’s children’s generation take part in a pickleball tournament, the young men attempt to trash-talk one another.
—
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
Jesus and Mahavira: lanky, lugubrious men, asking me to choose between them.
—Tishani Doshi, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Despite its lugubrious atmosphere, the characters’ problems could now be cleared up with some penicillin and, say, a book club.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
The locker room was far from lugubrious following an indicting 114-98 loss Tuesday to the weary and mediocre Miami Heat.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
Jesus and Mahavira: lanky, lugubrious men, asking me to choose between them.
—Tishani Doshi, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Despite its lugubrious atmosphere, the characters’ problems could now be cleared up with some penicillin and, say, a book club.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
The locker room was far from lugubrious following an indicting 114-98 loss Tuesday to the weary and mediocre Miami Heat.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lugubrious
Adjective
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The cards show your heart has been waking back up from a deep and somber slumber to finally roar more loudly than ever in July.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
-
According to the tabloid site, the couple seemed more somber and tense than usual.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The atmosphere at Charlie Kirk's memorial in Glendale, Arizona, is anything but mournful.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
-
So mournful the distant owl in Black Brooks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While there is still a chance that Sanders and Colorado can turn things around, the rest of the season is looking bleak.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
From a bleak job hunt upon her arrival in 2016 to undergoing treatment for her second bout with breast cancer during the uncertainty and fear of COVID, Davis recalls her journey through raw vulnerability and splashes of humor.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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According to Agnifilo, three medical experts have diagnosed Combs with post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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The next seven months are a gray, depressive blur.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Since the tragic incident, Zemfira’s dad Ruslan Mukhtarov created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
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At the end of the service, a funeral procession carried Howard's casket, now draped in an American flag, south along Hickory Road.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Coordinating your exhales with the pressing, depressing, pulling and lifting phases of these exercises enhances activation of the scapular stabilizing muscles and reinforces proper rib cage alignment.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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Closing The Gap The racial wealth gap in America remains depressing, and homeownership is one of the clearest indicators of it.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The most painful part, the tragedy of our lives, was that Brenda was heartbroken.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lugubrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lugubrious. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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