mournful

[ mawrn-fuhl, mohrn- ]

adjective

1. feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful; sad.
2. of or relating to mourning mourning for the dead.
3. causing grief or lament:

   a mournful occasion.

4. gloomy, somber, or dreary, as in appearance or character:

   mournful shadows.

mournful

/ ˈmɔːnfʊl /

adjective

1. evoking grief; sorrowful
2. gloomy; sad

Derived Forms

• ˈmournfulness, noun
• ˈmournfully, adverb

Other Words From

• mournful·ly adverb
• mournful·ness noun
• over·mournful adjective
• over·mournful·ly adverb
• over·mournful·ness noun
• un·mournful adjective
• un·mournful·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of mournful¹

First recorded in 1375–1425, mournful is from the late Middle English word morneful. See mourn, -ful

Example Sentences

According to Carlin, the band had no great expectations for 1992’s “Automatic for the People,” an album of mostly quiet, mournful ballads that, along with “Out of Time,” remains its most popular album.

From Los Angeles Times

The song works as a reaction to that moment - a slow, mournful realisation of his past behaviour, and a soul-cry for forgiveness.

From BBC

“It’s the one album that best defines my personality,” Aguilar says over Zoom about “Que Llueva Tequila,” an elegant, mournful collection of música mexicana love songs punctuated by deep — and almost experimental — rock ’n’ roll undertones.

From Los Angeles Times

But he made up for it with a smarmy opening to his acceptance speech in which he gave a mournful minute-by-minute recitation of the assassination attempt.

From Salon

Monday’s concert was the second of three at the Lakers’ downtown home behind last year’s “Zach Bryan,” which debuted atop Billboard’s album chart the same week it spun off a No. 1 single in “I Remember Everything,” a mournful duet with Kacey Musgraves.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anguished
• forlorn
• sad