1
: full of grief : cheerless
a doleful face
2
: expressing grief : sad
a doleful melody
3
: causing grief or affliction
a doleful loss
dolefulness
noun
Examples of doleful in a Sentence
The girl had a doleful look on her face.
You sounded so doleful about your future that night.
Recent Examples on the Web
Measles is the canary in the coal mine for vaccination and public health, and at this moment, the canary is singing a doleful tune.
—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
But if the film occasionally threatens to float away into its own inaccessible realm, Camp’s witty, doleful performance grounds it with a human dimension, albeit not a terribly warm one.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Morris was closemouthed about her origins, but enumerated her various conditions with a kind of doleful enjoyment.
—
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for doleful
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Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
But if the film occasionally threatens to float away into its own inaccessible realm, Camp’s witty, doleful performance grounds it with a human dimension, albeit not a terribly warm one.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Morris was closemouthed about her origins, but enumerated her various conditions with a kind of doleful enjoyment.
—
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.
—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for doleful
Cite this Entry
“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doleful. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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