mourner

[mawr-ner, mohr-]

noun

1. a person who mourns.

2. a person who attends a funeral to mourn for the deceased.

3. (at religious revival meetings) a person who professes penitence for sin, with desire for salvation.

mourner

/ ˈmɔːnə /

noun

1. a person who mourns, esp at a funeral

2. (at US revivalist meetings) a person who repents publicly

Word History and Origins

Origin of mourner¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; mourn, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Hundreds of mourners walked with coffins draped in colourful cloth into the compound of the Arerti Mariam church while clerics conducted burial rituals.

From BBC

Thousands of mourners turned out for his funeral in Moscow in March 2024 despite well-founded fears of a police crackdown.

From BBC

The mourners sang along to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and participated in a group prayer.

From Los Angeles Times

On a grey, foggy morning, as a group of mourners have gathered on an Appalachian mountaintop, a woman played by folksinger Hazel Dickens begins to sing.

From Salon

While an investigation into the cause of the crash is under way, there was much speculation among mourners.

From BBC

Related Words

• pallbearer