MOURNFUL Synonyms: 239 Similar and Opposite Words

mournful

adjective

ˈmȯrn-fəl

Definition of mournful next

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

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in depressing

causing unhappiness the mournful death of a beloved entertainer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of mournful The hour-long event included mournful hymns, prayers and the laying of wreaths by the participants, which included representatives from many countries around the world. —

ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026 His face, always stationed somewhere halfway to hangdog, seems to gain 20 new creases carved deep into his skin, accentuating his mournful eyes and his excruciated, heartbroken smile. —

Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026 Her music choices, mournful and dreamy, also add a sense of significance. —

Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026 Then, in the Andante movement, the upper strings opened with a glassy sound before the mournful line of the cello entered. —

Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 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