lugubrious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Lugubrious Liszt is channeled to ferry souls across the River Styx.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2019
Lugubrious to the point of torpor, he catches the mood perfectly; if it's not raining it will be soon, and there'll be another damp beer along in a minute.
From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2013
Lugubrious Fog-Bound is lightened by Miss O'Neil's portrayal of Hester.
From Time Magazine Archive
One Mr. Lugubrious Blue flits through the drawings of a certain famous cartoonist.
From In Apple-Blossom Time A Fairy-Tale to Date by Burnham, Clara Louise
Lugubrious Longface Loved Learning and Literary Lore, Which he always got out of the books he bought at Cole's Book Arcade.
From Cole's Funny Picture Book No. 1 by Cole, E. W. (Edward William)
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.
