noun
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a person who mourns, esp at a funeral
-
(at US revivalist meetings) a person who repents publicly
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mourner
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mourn, -er 1
Explanation
Anyone who is grieving for a person who has died is a mourner. Funerals give mourners the opportunity to remember and say goodbye to a loved one. While a mourner is anyone who mourns someone's death, the word is often used to mean "person attending a funeral." In some cultures, throughout history, professional mourners were people who were hired to publicly display their grief at the funeral of some well-known figure. Today, most mourners are family members and friends — people who knew the person well and grieve their death.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That reminds me of those Designated Mourner performances that Wallace Shawn would do in an old men’s club downtown.
From Slate • Jan. 27, 2021
Still with the same smile, Mourner Carol turned to the President of France who froze him with a frown.
From Time Magazine Archive
Altogether Mourner was lovely in a quiet way.
From The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Mourner, dry thy tears of wo, Trust, believe, and meet her there!
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII. No. 5. May 1848 by Conrad, Robert Taylor
There they were tugging at his mind, and the funeral tugging at his mind, too, and the sense of himself as Chief Mourner in a brand new silk hat with a broad mourning band.
From The History of Mr. Polly by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
