1
: expressing sorrow : sorrowful
2
: full of sorrow : sad
3
: causing sorrow or melancholy : gloomy
mournfulness
noun
Examples of mournful in a Sentence
she had such a mournful expression that someone teasingly asked if her dog had died
the mournful survivors of the disaster were faced with the grim task of burying the dead
Recent Examples on the Web
So mournful the distant owl in Black Brooks.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Her powerhouse voice, singing intensely sad words, was piercing, clarion, mournful, and hopeful, all at once.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
The backstory for the Bloody Mary maze follows the mournful tale of Mary Worth after the tragic death of her family.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Sartorially rising to the occasion in her mournful ensemble, Middleton added sentimental pieces that honored another late member of the British royal family.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
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Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Her powerhouse voice, singing intensely sad words, was piercing, clarion, mournful, and hopeful, all at once.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2025
The backstory for the Bloody Mary maze follows the mournful tale of Mary Worth after the tragic death of her family.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Sartorially rising to the occasion in her mournful ensemble, Middleton added sentimental pieces that honored another late member of the British royal family.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mournful. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mournful
adjective
mourn·ful
ˈmō(ə)rn-fəl 
ˈmȯ(ə)rn-
1
: expressing or full of sorrow : sorrowful
a mournful face
2
: causing sorrow
a mournful story
mournfulness
noun
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