1
as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
she had such a mournful expression that someone teasingly asked if her dog had died
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the mournful survivors of the disaster were faced with the grim task of burying the dead
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3
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
the mournful death of a beloved entertainer
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mournful
Lit only by a halo-like light overhead, Wayans stares blankly at the screen, smoking a cigar — and breaking down in mournful tears.
—
Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Over the course of an hour, a virtuosic guitarist, a singer, and three dancers performed a program of mournful music and percussive dance, their faces set in serious frowns—an integral part of the performance.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
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, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Over the course of an hour, a virtuosic guitarist, a singer, and three dancers performed a program of mournful music and percussive dance, their faces set in serious frowns—an integral part of the performance.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
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, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mournful
Adjective
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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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As Morgan and Sasha chat it up at Noah’s family’s Purim party, a sad-eyed Esther stands off to the side, quietly watching the interaction.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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The footage shows Deiseroth’s demeanor teetering between sad and angry.—
David Goodhue
October 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Soon, the entire room was awash with clippings, each detailing a different duplicitous scheme — a depressing reflection of how scam culture was taking over my country, eroding our trust in each other.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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Welcome to the most depressing engagement party of the century.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee partnered with AES to start a fund to support funeral costs and other expenses for the families of those who died in the devastating blast.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Nov. 2025
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While a sect of their fandom BRIIZE celebrated the comeback, a more conservative portion protested by sending funeral wreaths to the company headquarters.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth Sunderland vs Everton David Moyes has not been back on the touchline at the Stadium of Light since his unhappy spell in charge of Sunderland ended in relegation in 2017.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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But if Brown is that unhappy with his status on the team, perhaps moving him would be addition by subtraction, as Florio suggested.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Enter Claude Whelan, played by James Callis, a fine actor with a face that can contort itself into about a dozen different versions of misery and pathetic dismay.—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The family returned home heartbroken and frustrated, with no DNA testing conducted and no indication that the remains—or any other evidence—had been preserved or examined.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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But the human in me — my heart and my soul — was heartbroken.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Developers are taking an extended break from a slumping San Diego area office market beset by empty space, depressed demand and high construction costs.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Real wages remain depressed and economic growth has stalled.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mournful. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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