1
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the diner's dim lighting makes eating there a particularly lugubrious experience
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
in Victorian times, people who could affect particularly lugubrious expressions were hired to march in funeral processions as professional mourners
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lugubrious
The legacy relaunch — originally titled Superman: Legacy when the project was announced in 2023 — represents a stark departure from writer-director Zack Snyder’s comparatively lugubrious, Zod-killing superhero deconstruction Man of Steel (2013).
—
Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2025
Some movie-goers love that sort of lugubrious, meditative filmmaking, some not so much, but either way — and to paraphrase Carly Simon — nobody does it better.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 28 June 2025
In one lugubrious sequence in which various members of Willie’s children’s generation take part in a pickleball tournament, the young men attempt to trash-talk one another.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
Jesus and Mahavira: lanky, lugubrious men, asking me to choose between them.
—Tishani Doshi, New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2025
Some movie-goers love that sort of lugubrious, meditative filmmaking, some not so much, but either way — and to paraphrase Carly Simon — nobody does it better.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 28 June 2025
In one lugubrious sequence in which various members of Willie’s children’s generation take part in a pickleball tournament, the young men attempt to trash-talk one another.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2025
Jesus and Mahavira: lanky, lugubrious men, asking me to choose between them.
—Tishani Doshi, New York Times, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lugubrious
Adjective
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Guthrie's three children also shared a somber and tearful plea that evening, asking for their mother to be returned home after her disappearance, now in its fifth day.—
Helen Rummel,
AZCentral.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The western Maryland battleground still carries a somber, haunting energy, a reminder of the war’s steep cost.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The dating scene is bleak, or at least increasingly difficult to navigate.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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But none of them have felt as bleak or despairing as Israeli director Anat Even’s scathing cinematic essay, Collapse (Effondrement).—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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What did this new study examine, and why did researchers focus on individual depressive symptoms instead of depression overall?—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Santa Claus, onstage with a kitsch midcentury silver tree, has a depressive meltdown.—
Laura Regensdorf,
Vogue,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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As the funeral procession got underway and the crowds swelled, a small group of supporters took Seif al-Islam’s coffin away and later performed the funeral prayers and buried him.—
Yousef Murad,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Waiting ultimately allowed Dews to attend the repast, a post-funeral gathering among family and friends.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The activist also went full glam on her flight, looking radiant in bronzy makeup, complete with dark eyeliner, fluttery eyelashes, fluffy eyebrows, luminous skin, and glossy lips.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
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More dark, romantic beauty inspiration.—
Jesa Marie Calaor,
Allure,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Martin, meanwhile, left heartbroken.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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Though heartbroken, Punsalan and Swallow decided to compete at Lillehammer anyway.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lugubrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lugubrious. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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