dolorous

[ dol-er-uhs, doh-ler- ]
See synonyms for dolorous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful: a dolorous melody; dolorous news.

Origin of dolorous

1
1375–1425; Middle English dolorous, dolerous<Anglo-French, Old French; see dolor, -ous

Other words from dolorous

  • dol·or·ous·ly, adverb
  • dol·or·ous·ness, noun
  • un·dol·or·ous, adjective
  • un·dol·or·ous·ly, adverb
  • un·dol·or·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby dolorous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dolorous in a sentence

  • Obama himself shows the dolorous dangers of unalloyed ideology, making transformation a higher priority than repair.

  • For a time the Eastern Counties Railway had a somewhat dolorous career.

    East Anglia | J. Ewing Ritchie
  • The farmer, half frightened by Anthony's dolorous shake of his head, exclaimed: "What's the matter, man?"

    Rhoda Fleming, Complete | George Meredith
  • Meanwhile he utters the most dolorous cries, and vents his impotent rage upon the tree which serves him for a refuge.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • She has come just in time to lull our dolorous philosophy, to show incarnate in woman the victim and the instrument of destiny.

    The English Stage | Augustin Filon

British Dictionary definitions for dolorous

dolorous

/ (ˈdɒlərəs) /


adjective
  1. causing or involving pain or sorrow

Derived forms of dolorous

  • dolorously, adverb
  • dolorousness, 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