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Glite Dictionary
mournful

mournful

18 3.9
Feeling deep sadness because of a loss
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɔrnfəl/
translation icon : triste
  • The music had a deeper wail, some singers sounding mournful, full of blues and tears.

And he was very mournful of the good old days before the blacks came into power.

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Examples

  • But as she moved, she hummed a mournful song until she got out of sight.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • It sounds very sad and mournful.

    Bel Ami (2012)

  • The stars look down with mournful eyes in lamentation deep.

  • Eulalie looked at her with huge, mournful eyes when she entered the dining room.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The lyrics are mournful, conjuring up family members going off to sea.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The harbormaster looked up at them, mournful and speechless, as though he knew their fate.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The frown had gone from Elaine's face, replaced by a mournful kind of glow.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The loon song is thrilling, while the wolves' mournful voices are piercing the night.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Periodically, Lindsey heard a strange and distant cry, the mournful bleat of some great, mysterious beast.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • She spoke in a mournful voice as she remembered her lost friend.

Synonyms

sad
vsmournful
∞ 1.0

Feeling unhappy or upset because of something

is a more focused expression of sorrow or mourning
melancholy
vsmournful
37 5.9

Feeling or showing deep sadness

is sad in feeling or expression but not necessarily gloomy
tearful
vsmournful
26 1.8

Showing you are about to cry because of a strong feeling

expresses sorrow more generally, not only showing visible tears
weepy
vsmournful
20 3.7

Feeling like you want to cry easily

is sorrowful without implying frequent or easy crying
sorrowful
vsmournful
14 3.6

Feeling very sad because of loss or disappointment

is general sadness without stressing depth or loss
plaintive
vsmournful
10 7.9

Having a sad sound that makes people feel unhappy

is sad in general, not only in sound or tone
melancholic
vsmournful
5 7.2

Feeling deep, quiet sadness

is a direct expression of sadness rather than a lasting tendency
doleful
vsmournful
3 8.2

Feeling or showing deep sadness

is sorrowful but not necessarily as heavy or serious
elegiac
vsmournful
  • Literature
2 9.1

Showing sad feelings about something lost or in the past

covers present sadness without the past or loss focus
dolorous
vsmournful
  • Literature
1 9.9

Feeling or showing deep sadness because of a loss

expresses sadness without the same formal intensity
sorrowing
vsmournful
6.9

Feeling very sad because of a loss

describes sadness more generally rather than an ongoing state
grieving
vsmournful
3.4

Feeling very sad after someone you love dies

covers sadness more broadly, not only after a death

Antonyms

cheerful
111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

joyful
70 1.0

Feeling or showing great happiness

elated
11 4.0

Feeling very happy and excited because of good news or success

Compounds

mournful widow
  • US
9.9

A plant that lives one year and has fragrant purple to deep red flower heads

How Sad

heartbroken
67 3.2
sorrowful
14 3.6
mournful
18 3.9
sad
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

mournful positive

Morphology

mournful = mourn (transparent) = mourn + ful

Standard adjective formation: 'mourn' + '-ful' yields 'full of mourning', matching the modern sense.

Etymology

The word mournful comes from the old English verb mourn, which meant 'to grieve', and the ending -ful, which means 'full of'. So something mournful is 'full of grief' or shows deep sadness.