dolefulness

9.0

Deep, quiet sadness often caused by grief

noun
/ˈdoʊl.fəl.nəs/

: tristeza

Her face was marked by a dolefulness that lingered long after the funeral.

Examples

There was a certain dolefulness in his voice whenever he spoke of his childhood.
The novel captures the dolefulness of life in a war-torn country.
Her eyes reflected a deep sense of dolefulness.
The dolefulness in his voice was unmistakable.
Her face was marked by a dolefulness that lingered long after the funeral.
There was a certain dolefulness in his voice whenever he spoke of his childhood.
The dolefulness in her eyes spoke volumes about her recent loss.

Synonyms

grief

vsdolefulness

443 2.1

Deep sadness after you lose someone or something important

includes that depth but also sadness from general affliction

sadness

vsdolefulness

229 1.0

A feeling of being unhappy

is more intense and often tied to grief or affliction

deep sorrow

vsdolefulness

4 3.7

A very strong feeling of sadness after a great loss

is similar but may also cover sorrow from trouble, not only loss

mournfulness

vsdolefulness

1 6.5

A deep, quiet feeling or look of sadness

is the inner state of sorrow rather than only the outward look

dolor

vsdolefulness

Archaic

1 9.9

Deep, painful sadness about a loss

is similar in depth but less literary and more general

sorrowfulness

vsdolefulness

6.3

A deep feeling of sadness about a loss

is the same idea but often emphasizes cause like loss or affliction

woefulness

vsdolefulness

7.8

A feeling of deep sadness that shows in voice or art

covers similar sadness but is not limited to a mournful tone

heavyheartedness

vsdolefulness

7.7

A feeling of deep sadness and loss

is the general sad state rather than focusing on melancholy quality

glumness

vsdolefulness

6.6

A quiet feeling of sadness and low spirits

is deeper and more serious than mild gloom or low spirits

downheartedness

vsdolefulness

6.8

A feeling of being sad and having little hope

is deeper sadness, typically linked to grief rather than discouragement

Antonyms

elation

18 5.5

A very happy and excited feeling after a big success

joyfulness

1 2.0

A strong feeling of happiness and excitement

How Sad

grief

443 2.1

dolefulness

9.0

sadness

229 1.0

unhappiness

42 1.8

Surface Forms

dolefulness singular

dolefulnesses plural

Morphology

dolefulness = doleful (transparent) = dole + ful + ness

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'doleful', which straightforwardly means 'full of sorrow'.

Etymology

Dolefulness comes from the old word dole, which meant 'sorrow' or 'grief', and the ending -ful, meaning 'full of'. So dolefulness is being 'full of sorrow', like carrying a quiet, heavy sadness.