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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
with a sorrowfulness that can only be described as heart-wrenching, she read the elegy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sorrowful
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Other setbacks, while less painful, were no less sorrowful.
—David Litt
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
John says some rather swoon-worthy but also sorrowful lines.
—Carlos Aguilar, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2025
Members include a vicar with a lurid fantasy life, a clever and stifled housewife, a sorrowful retired accountant and a blowhard.
—New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Adjective
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
Other setbacks, while less painful, were no less sorrowful.
—David Litt
june 25, Literary Hub, 25 June 2025
John says some rather swoon-worthy but also sorrowful lines.
—Carlos Aguilar, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2025
Members include a vicar with a lurid fantasy life, a clever and stifled housewife, a sorrowful retired accountant and a blowhard.
—New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorrowful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful
Adjective
-
Similarly, the discreetly mournful compositions of Giorgio Matteo and Aki Oliviero’s score hover politely on the periphery of the (in)action, careful not to intrude.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These movies commit to the dusty interior decoration and inherent sadness of their ghost stories, but have little feel for the profound interfamily dynamics therein.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
So many of Lee’s memories of her mother are tinged with sadness and grief.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
3 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
-
Both Ways on Netflix The Lovebirds In the 2020 adventure comedy The Lovebirds, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play an unhappy couple on the brink of splitting up.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet's plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
-
More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Hill’s 21-year-old son told WXYZ that his whole family is heartbroken.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Over the past half-decade, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has been called off three times, leaving behind unrealized lineups, swampy farmlands, and heartbroken fans.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Fantastic Four is a close second, sure, but Florence Pugh leading a group of depressed villain castaways was the film that really felt like more of a return to form for the MCU.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
-
If management succeeds in achieving its ambitious growth targets while maintaining leverage control, the stock could experience a significant multiple expansion from its current depressed levels.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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