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
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Recent Examples of sorrowful
True to the genre’s name, the blues could be bawdy, humorously describing the pleasures of the flesh, or sorrowful, conveying heart-wrenching despair.
—
René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026
Season 2’s prevailing tone is at once more serious and less sorrowful.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
Fennell also cut the novel’s frame story, in which the events of the story are told by the housekeeper Nelly (played in the movie by Hong Chau) to an outside observer years after all the sorrowful drama that befouled Heathcliff and Cathy.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
With its family friction and its outsiders’ view of a fast-growing city in a young, postwar country, Shame and Money casts a piercing, sorrowful gaze at the ground-level effects of globalization.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026
Season 2’s prevailing tone is at once more serious and less sorrowful.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
Fennell also cut the novel’s frame story, in which the events of the story are told by the housekeeper Nelly (played in the movie by Hong Chau) to an outside observer years after all the sorrowful drama that befouled Heathcliff and Cathy.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
With its family friction and its outsiders’ view of a fast-growing city in a young, postwar country, Shame and Money casts a piercing, sorrowful gaze at the ground-level effects of globalization.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful
Adjective
-
The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
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The ambient-dub duo returns with a warm and mournful new record that seems to spend most of its runtime fading in and out.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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The failure of so many in the political world to speak up displays a sad and growing moral bankruptcy.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
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Don’t be sad — this is not a farewell forever.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
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
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Wait times, and particularly in the emergency department, wait times were skyrocketing, patient satisfaction, and everybody was just generally unhappy.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
9 May 2026
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Sources have told Deadline that Fox was originally unhappy with the creative on Season 14 of the show, but collaborated with the creative team and was ultimately sated.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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So, understandably, they were left heartbroken after discovering the dog had escaped his yard on Chicago's Northwest Side.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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The Beckhams, who sold their crash pad in One Museum Tower in downtown Miami, but maintain a spec house in Miami Beach, are said to be heartbroken about the estrangement.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Children, yes, but families, grown-ups, single people, divorced people, cheerful people, depressed people, dog people, cat people, Dodgers fans, Padres fans, whomever.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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But there are some important factors that could lower their ceiling, namely depressed enthusiasm with some key groups, the fact that there are fewer competitive districts than ever before and the state of the redistricting battle.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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The GoFundMe states that Maxence’s family is seeking help with funeral arrangements and other unexpected expenses following the tragedy.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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Elba Sandoval, mother and grandmother of the victims, created a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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Amid the Wave’s miserable season that followed both on and off the field, Shaw asked for a trade to the North Carolina Courage, which was granted ahead of the 2025 season.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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The Jets finished last in rushing attempts in a wholly miserable campaign.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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