lugubrious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lugubrious
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin lūgubri(s) “mournful” (akin to lūgēre “to mourn”) + -ous
Explanation
Funerals are lugubrious. So are rainy days and Mondays. Anything that makes you sad, gloomy, or mournful can be called lugubrious. Lugubrious comes from the Latin verb lūgēre, "to mourn." You can also listen to the sound of the word: lugubrious sounds slow, heavy, and sad. Sometimes, just the "feel" of a word is enough to clue you in to its meaning, and lugubrious is one of those words. I was feeling great when I got to the concert, but the lugubrious music left me in a terrible mood.
Vocabulary lists containing lugubrious
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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This Week in Words: September 4 - 8, 2017
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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.
At Tudum, Ortega appeared on stage during Lady Gaga’s performance as part of a lugubrious ensemble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
The mayor, 43, recalled visiting the pyramid as a schoolboy soon after it opened in 1988 as a lugubrious memorial to Mr. Hoxha.
From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2023
At a lugubrious black-tie dinner preceding the event, I sat next to a former MP who asked me two questions I had never been asked before in succession.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2022
Welcome to “The Batman,” yet another lugubrious, laboriously grim slog masquerading as a fun comic book movie.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2022
He walked out; and the others followed him with lugubrious mien.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
