dolorous

[ dol-er-uh s, doh-ler- ]

/ ˈdɒl ər əs, ˈdoʊ lər- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dolorous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful: a dolorous melody; dolorous news.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dolorous

1375–1425; Middle English dolorous, dolerous < Anglo-French, Old French; see dolor, -ous

Related forms

dol·or·ous·ly, adverbdol·or·ous·ness, nounun·dol·or·ous, adjectiveun·dol·or·ous·ly, adverb

un·dol·or·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dolorous

Obama himself shows the dolorous dangers of unalloyed ideology, making transformation a higher priority than repair.
A Winning Final Four at the GOP Debate in Charleston|Michael Medved|January 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He, with his eyes fixed on the embers, had sunk back into the dolorous past.
Fruitfulness|Emile Zola
Judge of the whole by a part of the most dolorous history in the records of civilisation.
The Fleets Behind the Fleet|W. MacNeile (William MacNeile) Dixon
The Mormons followed this national road when they trekked to the valley of Salt Lake in 1847––a dolorous path to many.
Trail Tales|James David Gillilan

The star made schedule trips between the altar and the loft, running over our heads with a dolorous rattle.
A Woman's Impression of the Philippines|Mary H. (Mary Helen) Fee
Throughout all that sordid, dolorous region I saw not so much as one tree, or flower-bed, or fountain.
Not Guilty|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for dolorous

dolorous

/ (ˈdɒlərəs) /

adjective

causing or involving pain or sorrow

Derived Formsdolorously, adverbdolorousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dolorous

dolorous

adj.

c.1400, "causing pain," from Old French doloros (12c., Modern French douloureux) "painful, sorrowful, wretched," from Late Latin dolorosus "painful, sorrowful," from Latin dolor "pain, grief." Sense of "causing grief" is from mid-15c.; that of "full of sorrow" is from 1510s. Related: Dolorously; dolorousness.