as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
dolorous ballads of death and regret
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of dolorous
Above ground, the images are reminiscent of Bela Tarr or the particularly dolorous stretches of early Tarkovsky movies, an impression accented by the strange siren-like blares, twangs and choral interludes of Tako Zhordania’s otherwordly score.
—
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 8 July 2023
The next evening, a lanky youth in military fatigues mumbles something less dolorous from the same podium and Llewyn can only watch from the sidelines as the audience applauds with vigour.
—Hazlitt, 24 Aug. 2022
Things had changed just enough to incorporate this kind of hard, dolorous realism.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2020
Filled with desolate vistas, a feathered and furred menagerie, and multiple aperture-like windows, these fragments quickly establish a moody tone and over time become dolorous refrains.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2018
His Grammy supremacy, to the exclusion of Sheeran, shows that the dolorous guitarist no longer holds intrinsic sway over the smiling showman for the awards' purposes.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2017
The mosaics portray Jesus and his human forebears, including Joseph and a dolorous Mother Mary.
—Nasser Nasser, National Geographic, 27 May 2016
Did Affleck use up his store of dolorous winces in Manchester by the Sea?
—Christian Lorentzen, New Republic, 5 July 2017
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 8 July 2023
The next evening, a lanky youth in military fatigues mumbles something less dolorous from the same podium and Llewyn can only watch from the sidelines as the audience applauds with vigour.
—Hazlitt, 24 Aug. 2022
Things had changed just enough to incorporate this kind of hard, dolorous realism.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2020
Filled with desolate vistas, a feathered and furred menagerie, and multiple aperture-like windows, these fragments quickly establish a moody tone and over time become dolorous refrains.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2018
His Grammy supremacy, to the exclusion of Sheeran, shows that the dolorous guitarist no longer holds intrinsic sway over the smiling showman for the awards' purposes.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2017
The mosaics portray Jesus and his human forebears, including Joseph and a dolorous Mother Mary.
—Nasser Nasser, National Geographic, 27 May 2016
Did Affleck use up his store of dolorous winces in Manchester by the Sea?
—Christian Lorentzen, New Republic, 5 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolorous
Adjective
-
The mournful footnote to Hollywood or Bust is that off-set, the friendship between Martin and Lewis had already broken down irrevocably.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Definitely — but there’s a mournful resonance to that in a play where characters reach out so desperately and remain so trapped within themselves.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
For the certification, Senate pages carried the Electoral College ballot boxes through the rotunda like caskets in a funeral procession.—
Antonia Hitchens,
The New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Now the family is grappling with funeral arrangements for the young woman.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In the original visual, the Grammy winner plays a heartbroken character named Peaches who has all traces of her ex wiped from her hippocampus, an homage to Michel Gondry’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Seven Oaks parents ‘heartbroken’ Five Seven Oaks parents reached out to the Statesman to express disappointment with the removal of the bulletin board.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Some instant coffee is made with Robusta beans, which can be a bit bitter.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
-
To add to Ferrari’s woes, Hamilton was also disqualified from sixth as the rear skid block on his car failed to meet the minimum thickness requirement – a bitter pill to swallow for the Brit who had secured his first victory for the team in the sprint earlier in the weekend.—
Yara Elshebiny,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dolorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolorous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share