cheerlessly

adverb

Definition of cheerlesslynext
as in dispiritedly

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheerlessly
  1. dejectedly
  2. despairingly
  3. despondently
  4. unhappily
  5. bitterly
  6. painfully
  7. mournfully
  8. dolefully
Adverb
  • The Manchester City star sat dejectedly on the bench after he was subbed out for Jorgen Strand Larsen in the second half of extra time.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • Camp Bravo could only watch dejectedly, finally on the beach to witness defeat up close.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Definition of dejectedly
Adverb
  • What Justice Elena Kagan wrote of so despairingly in those cases resonates anew in Florida.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
  • O’Farrell’s words skip lightly on some pages, then pace with anxiety, then finally trudge along despairingly.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Definition of despairingly
Adverb
  • And in the film’s poignant final scene, Joe despondently plays his piano − only for Angela to sit beside him and start plunking along.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • The concept art and teaser trailer unveiled in 2024 depicted the toys looking on despondently as the child who owns the toys is engrossed in an activity on a tablet.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of despondently
Adverb
  • But its actual lead is Alice (Souheila Yacoub), a Frenchwoman unhappily married to Joseph’s older brother, Will (George Pullar).
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 July 2026
  • Wilde stars as one half of a struggling couple, unhappily married to a character played by Seth Rogen.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of unhappily
Adverb
  • There were riots, protests and a bitterly divisive war in Vietnam that looked intractable.
    — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • In the cycle event, Keegan fell off his bike and landed very painfully.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 25 July 2026
  • The United States learned that lesson painfully after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, when removing an opposing government did not produce the stable political outcome American leaders sought.
    — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Definition of mournfully
Adverb
  • There’s ample gore and jumpy moments, but the true scariness here is of the forlorn kind; leads Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play the mounting nightmare with ache and desperation, elevating the emotional tenor of a dolefully eerie movie.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026
Definition of dolefully
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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cheerless
cheerlessly
cheerlessness
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Cite this Entry

“Cheerlessly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheerlessly. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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