dolefulness

noun

Definition of dolefulnessnext
1
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits with the resigned dolefulness of an athlete who knows his playing days are over, he cleared out his locker for the last time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved a period of dolefulness that seemed to last forever for the widower

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolefulness
  1. sorrow
  2. depression
  3. grief
  4. anguish
  5. melancholy
Noun
  • Those little eyebrows pinched in sorrow or remorse?
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Because, Linford says, while sorrow is real, the final word is joy.
    Jason DeRose, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • How to prevent depression with aging, according to AARP BYDebra Whitman December 24, 2024 3 months ago Health Got COVID?
    Beth Greenfield, Fortune Well, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Patients who took months of dance classes found their depression eased, a small study published recently in the Journal of Medical Internet Research says.
    Maureen Mackey, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of depression
Noun
  • Twenty years later, that woman (Cate Blanchett, as always a star) and the boy's father (Kevin Kline) must reckon with their lives then and now, and the complicated emotions of grief, rage and regret.
    USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Having experienced grief really recently myself — my dad died mid-filming of the season — that is how grief works.
    Jen Chaney, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of grief
Noun
  • Mass killing database:Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006 How many school shootings took place in 2024?
    Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
  • What follows is a study in guilt, responsibility, and anguish, all told in ashamed interiority on Murphy’s face.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • But the Christmas–New Year’s setting adds a nice touch of melancholy to the proceedings.
    Bob Sassone, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
  • But over the course of the pair’s tour of Poland to visit their late grandmother’s ancestral home, Benji’s flippant manner keeps dissolving to reveal internal conflict and profound melancholy.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of melancholy
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near dolefulness

dolefully

dolefulness

dole out

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Dolefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefulness. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...