MEANING
Showing or expressing sadness and dejection.
Use it for
Visible sorrow, mournful speech, subdued emotional atmosphere.Locate sadness in expression rather than claiming its cause.
Words that belong together
- doleful expression
- doleful voice
- doleful music
On the page
His doleful expression changed when he saw the dog.
A doleful tune came from the upstairs piano.
She delivered the news in a voice more doleful than the occasion required.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- doleful
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Often describes a face, voice, or mood; may be gently comic when sorrow is disproportionate. Signals dejection rather than panic; often milder in tone than dolorous. Comparative more doleful; superlative most doleful. Derived adverb dolefully.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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