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
Rather than being a mournful movie about dying, Benna’s film pinpoints how to live and find joy and tears out of a terminal situation.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
His villains were flamboyant, but Bruce was mournful, reluctant — no onscreen superhero has more palpably wrestled with not wanting to be a superhero.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
His villains were flamboyant, but Bruce was mournful, reluctant — no onscreen superhero has more palpably wrestled with not wanting to be a superhero.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2026
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
-
All our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this incredibly sad time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
That was very sad that Soft Cell’s Dave Ball died at just 66.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Take 25 Hours, in Long Island City, for example, which is freighted with a depressing ambience that is equal parts chemistry lab and subterranean grotto.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Dede Ayite’s costume design nails each character, from Catherine’s slouchy, depressing sweats-and-flannels to Claire’s chic, New York casual-glam.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
No funeral arrangements have been announced.—
La'Tasha Givens,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Those supporting the family were seeking $55,000 in donations to pay for funeral costs, as well as medical and everyday bills.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As society gal Rose DeWitt Bukater, Melissa Barrera has freewheeling fun with Kate Winslett’s unhappy bride-to-be character.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
People on my block were unhappy, and block association president was unhappy.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The 'merch hauls' on social media are awful, the desperate pathetic influencers trying to clout chase using the Masters are all awful.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2026
-
In a 2024 TikTok video that has reeled in over six million views, Welch shows the pathetic state of her softside suitcase upon her arrival at O’ahu.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The singer's brother Eric Stefani wrote the first version, and modified it with help from a freshly heartbroken Gwen, who had just broken up with the band's bassist Tony Kanal — one of a few times in music history that the subject of the song also contributed to its production.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
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Jamel Davis’ longtime live-in girlfriend first asked her son to stop smoking in the family’s home in the Walt Whitman Houses near Fort Greene Park, sparking a fight, according to the slain man’s heartbroken brother.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The father, Jagdish, told me that one of his children was vomiting and the other had bloody stools; both were depressed.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
So why are young Americans so depressed about their economic future?—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mournful. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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