Word of the Day

: February 6, 2022

lugubrious

adjective loo-GOO-bree-us

What It Means

Lugubrious means "mournful" or "dismal." It can also mean "very sad in an exaggerated or insincere way."

// The lugubrious musical passages made audience members teary-eyed.

// The actor is well-known for her lugubrious facial expressions and mannerisms. 

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lugubrious in Context

"Would [Steve Spielberg's] notoriously ill-received 1941 have worked as a musical? Maybe not; it might well have retained the moments where its spectacle turns lugubrious, straining and burdening the comedy that's supposed to hold it up. On the other hand, while it's uneven as a comedy, 1941 is a marvel of choreography." — Jesse Hassenger, Paste Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021

Did You Know?

Lugubrious is the sole surviving English offspring of Latin lugēre, meaning "to mourn." Its closest kin, luctual, an adjective meaning "sad" or "sorrowful," was put to rest centuries ago.