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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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
In this context, even a simple boast about wielding a Beretta sounded mournful.
—
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025
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
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
-
Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
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The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The Green Bay Packers suffered a brutal injury blow during their depressing Week 9 loss against the Carolina Panthers at home.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Objects have what’s like a soul, like the funeral sword lilies on the seat or objects passed from one passenger to another.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
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Following Lazo-Hannecart's death, her family established a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses and provide support her husband and children.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy lives with her Oscar-nominated and Olivier- and Tony-winning performances in Shirley Valentine, has died.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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That distaste didn’t hurt Spanberger and her ticket, because 18% of those unhappy voters backed her anyway.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Nov. 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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As the title suggests, the book details Turner's tale of a heartbroken widower who became an unlikely senior-citizen TV star on the first season of the reality show, which ended with an engagement to Nist.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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Thomas told the outlet that her brother’s diagnosis left their family heartbroken.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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During the week, Aluko had described lying in bed at the height of the controversy, depressed and unable to eat.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Perhaps this depressed valuation is what caught the eye of Carl Icahn.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mournful. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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