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as in sad
feeling unhappiness the visibly doleful players, heartbroken about their loss

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples 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 doleful But those doleful practical consequences are all around us. Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, 25 June 2024 In a doleful irony, his digital rerecording of the piece, taken at a more stately tempo and with other changes, would be the last Gould album released by Columbia before his untimely death at age 50 in 1982. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024 With his bulldog build and his doleful countenance, Mr. Young amassed more than 160 film and television credits. Alex Williams, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023 The elderly sage was cast as a doleful penitent, making up for youthful indiscretions. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for doleful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doleful
Adjective
  • Very few directors working today can put across a movie like Gladiator II as convincingly, which perhaps explains why the sequel — for all its barbaric violence and the plaintive, at times stirring, discussions about justice and democracy — doesn’t have the mournful quality that the first film did.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Russell Crowe beating people to death in a soulful, mournful way?
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • However, sad to say, Gmail accounts remain a prime target for attackers of all sorts and understanding the threat is key to getting a grip on mitigating it.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
  • What kids gain from taking charge of their own feelings Having strong emotional regulation skills doesn’t mean kids won’t feel sad, angry, or frustrated — that’s part of being human.
    Amy Morin, Contributor, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024
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
  • Some artists and publishers are unhappy with the way their content is being scraped freely by companies like OpenAI and Google to train their large language models — AI models trained on huge quantities of data to generate humanlike responses.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Cronin — who had to cancel some summer shows this year due to unspecified health issues — further acknowledges that there’s acrimony between he and Hall, and he’s been unhappy with some of the social media discourse blaming him for the end of the REO Speedwagon name.
    Gary Graff, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Dido, after her lover Aeneas deserts her, kills herself with his sword on a funeral pyre, but not before building an effigy of him to burn alongside her.
    Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
  • The Associated Press reported that the funeral location was not made public in advance to prevent a large crowd from gathering.
    Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The Swiss National Bank also cut rates by 50 basis points earlier in the session Thursday, exceeding expectations of a smaller trim amid an ongoing tussle with depressed inflation and a strong Swiss franc.
    Karen Gilchrist,Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Advertisement Wandering in separately from the modernist monstrosity across the street are JD (Luke Wilson), a depressed out-of-work actor, and glittery, shallow Margo (Linda Cardellini), who will presently be identified as his wife.
    Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Dog Breeds For Your Perfect Match By Brian Dillon Home & Travel Reporter 0 A dog that chewed through a wall to see its owner has left the internet heartbroken.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Madison is flawless in these closing scenes: stunned, heartbroken, unable to respond to the tentative romantic gestures of a Russian henchman who's taken a shine to her.
    Tom Gliatto, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But as is typical of City at the moment, there was another sudden collapse, this miserable run was extended, and Guardiola’s attempt to fix things failed spectacularly.
    Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
  • The storm’s sloppy mess of heavy rain and strong winds will make for treacherous travel and a miserable day in the Northeast’s major cities.
    Elisa Raffa, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near doleful

Cite this Entry

“Doleful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doleful. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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