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
Other tracks channel the mournful energy of the most political ’70s dub.
—
Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Dec. 2025
Edgerton captures the essence of sorrow like lightning bugs in a jar; his sadness isn’t a dark, overbearing thing, but a source of gentle, mournful light.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Armando Solimões, the mournful-eyed central character played by Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent, isn’t a government operative, despite the title of the film.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
The Fitzgerald's final moments shrouded in mystery, Lightfoot's mournful song, the number of lives lost, and the size of the ship alone led her to quickly become the most famous shipwreck in Michigan.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Dec. 2025
Edgerton captures the essence of sorrow like lightning bugs in a jar; his sadness isn’t a dark, overbearing thing, but a source of gentle, mournful light.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Armando Solimões, the mournful-eyed central character played by Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent, isn’t a government operative, despite the title of the film.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2025
The Fitzgerald's final moments shrouded in mystery, Lightfoot's mournful song, the number of lives lost, and the size of the ship alone led her to quickly become the most famous shipwreck in Michigan.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for 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
Adjective
-
The same sad and sinister menace occupying 1600 Penn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, after a while the thrill of getting caught fades, and sneaking around becomes deeply sad rather than sexy.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Winter can be gloomy, dreary, and depressing.—
Kari Leibowitz,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Suggesting that Hallam was trying to make a name for himself was a depressing line for Guardiola to attack.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The page has raised over $14,000 in donations with a goal of $18,000 to cover funeral costs.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
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Five bikers have been indicted in connection to a bloody brawl between the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club and Demons of Hell Motorcycle Club that began at a funeral service on Long Island.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Domingo Morel, a professor at New York University who studies state takeovers of local schools, said most local residents wind up unhappy with the methods used by state interventionists and the results.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
26 Jan. 2026
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Audrey, the single and childless and PhD-less product of a stable but unhappy home, has fallen short of the life planned out for her by her parents.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For Guardiola to focus on lambasting Hallam was pretty pathetic, all told.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Marche feared that ChatGPT-3 meant the end of freshman composition papers, but that’s a pathetic and moribund genre anyhow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Neighbors said they were heartbroken to hear about the incident.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The younger brother of a man shot celebrating his birthday in the Bronx witnessed the slaying and was wounded by the gunman too, the siblings’ heartbroken mother revealed Monday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Aside from the loneliness, Rowland says day-after-day stuck inside has left her depressed and fearing the worst.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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The first episode largely focuses on the male perspective through the eyes of the angry, lonely, and depressed Jeremy (Jaquel Spivey).—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mournful. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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