1
as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
she had such a mournful expression that someone teasingly asked if her dog had died
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
the mournful survivors of the disaster were faced with the grim task of burying the dead
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
the mournful death of a beloved entertainer
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mournful
Similarly, the discreetly mournful compositions of Giorgio Matteo and Aki Oliviero’s score hover politely on the periphery of the (in)action, careful not to intrude.
—
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Ortega’s deadpan remains impeccable and her mournful gaze allows for viewer projection that goes beyond anything on the page, but Wednesday too often comes across as a piece of an ensemble at this point.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Soon she’s caught up in a supernatural murder mystery involving fatally beaky crows; dealing with an obsessive, disturbingly round-eyed fan (Evie Templeton); and bickering with mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who tends to strike a quiet note that seems almost genuinely mournful).
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Ortega’s deadpan remains impeccable and her mournful gaze allows for viewer projection that goes beyond anything on the page, but Wednesday too often comes across as a piece of an ensemble at this point.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Soon she’s caught up in a supernatural murder mystery involving fatally beaky crows; dealing with an obsessive, disturbingly round-eyed fan (Evie Templeton); and bickering with mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, who tends to strike a quiet note that seems almost genuinely mournful).
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mournful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mournful
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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As Malcolm and Henry prepare to return home, they are met with the sad news that Isaac Grant (Brian McCardie) has died, throwing Malcolm into a new leadership position.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Happy for her but selfishly sad.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In the end, the depressing counter, which ended in the red, was pumped up by a pair of donations from Bargatze and CBS, bringing the end total to $350,000.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
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The amount of layoffs that would result from this merger is depressing to consider.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The necklace has accessorized past funeral attire for the Princess of Wales.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Many other members of the royal family were among the funeral attendees, including Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Kybella can be used as an alternative to surgery for patients who are unhappy with fat under their chin, also known as submental fullness, and have not seen improvement with diet and exercise, according to the manufacturers.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
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Folks felt exposed or excluded or some unhappy combination of both.—
Andrew Pasquier,
Them.,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic hate monger.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
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The festival was washed out by weather, promised luxury accommodations and food were nowhere to be found (except for some pathetic cheese sandwiches), and guests only stayed one night of what was supposed to be a two-week experience.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Her family is heartbroken and devastated by this tragic loss.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
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And utterly heartbroken for Charlie’s young family.—
Amanda Castro
Gabe Whisnant
Anna Commander
Toby Meyjes
Shane Croucher
John Feng
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Because that’s the case, their actual margin opportunity is depressed.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
15 Sep. 2025
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This might be because people are a bit depressed.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mournful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mournful. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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