1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
adopted a sorrowful tone of voice to read the news story about the former governor's death
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the cult seemed to be a sorrowful assemblage of emotionally scarred people seeking love and redemption
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sorrowful
Whereas Armah’s novel operates in the sorrowful register of existentialism, Sembène and Cissé’s films revel in the barbed parameters of comedy and trade in the comeuppance of corrupt leaders.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
The piece is marked by contrasts between the warm, enveloping sounds of the horns and the jagged tension expressed through sighing, sorrowful calls of the clarinet and ominous timpani rolls.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
The dog's sorrowful face captured attention online, as internet users were horrified at what happened to such an old pup.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Book Club Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
★★★★☆
A sweet yet sorrowful story of two childhood friends coping with all of life’s most turbulent twists and turns, like loss, grief, and love.
—Sarah Kinonen, Allure, 26 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
The piece is marked by contrasts between the warm, enveloping sounds of the horns and the jagged tension expressed through sighing, sorrowful calls of the clarinet and ominous timpani rolls.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
The dog's sorrowful face captured attention online, as internet users were horrified at what happened to such an old pup.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Book Club Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
★★★★☆
A sweet yet sorrowful story of two childhood friends coping with all of life’s most turbulent twists and turns, like loss, grief, and love.
—Sarah Kinonen, Allure, 26 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful
Adjective
-
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,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Is this a deeply sad, award-winning tearjerker of a drama?—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The schism that developed between Ric and Ben is a very sad part of the story.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
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
-
Roseanne Barr is unhappy that Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
-
There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
My newlywed wife was heartbroken.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The writer, known for her trailblazing work in confessional poetry, was clinically depressed and died by suicide at age 30.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Barbeau had been living alone, depressed and isolated since Jessica’s death.—
Jon Michael Varese,
The Atlantic,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Copeland’s mother, Maria Copeland, posted about her daughter’s funeral arrangements on Facebook.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The boy was identified as Jeremiah Gonzalez on the page, which his family started to help with funeral costs.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The same goes for Treinen, who endured a miserable September, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) in 9 1/3 innings.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
And so, a miserable team performance was cemented into a 26-21 loss, the team’s first of the year.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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