mournful
Americanadjective
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feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful; sad.
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of or relating to mourning for the dead.
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causing grief or lament.
a mournful occasion.
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gloomy, somber, or dreary, as in appearance or character.
mournful shadows.
adjective
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evoking grief; sorrowful
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gloomy; sad
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mournful
First recorded in 1375–1425, mournful is from the late Middle English word morneful. See mourn, -ful
Explanation
A mournful person is someone who is full of sorrow, like a little girl who has just lost her new puppy. Mournful is a word that is often associated with someone who has experienced the death of someone close to them. A person would feel mournful if their loved one had just died. Mournful can also describe the expression of sad feelings, like a person dressed in black and sobbing into a handkerchief. You would not be mournful if you had just failed a quiz, but you would be mournful if your twenty-year marriage had just failed.
Vocabulary lists containing mournful
List 4
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Chains
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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.
Her pure, warm soprano shone especially in the lament “Lungi da te, mio bene” with its mournful horn accompaniment, as Sifare realizes the hopelessness of his and Aspasia’s love.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Whitney Houston’s powerhouse version stands alone, but Dolly’s quieter, mournful ode to her collaboration with Porter Wagoner is the artful, formative sketch to a colossal mural.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Inside the packed hall, dozens sang mournful songs as the three white coffins stood in the centre of the room, each placed beside a smiling photograph.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Victorious Spanish fans and mournful Argentinians brought the World Cup carnival back to the heart of New York for their blockbuster clash Sunday, reigniting fervor that had dipped with the US exit.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Her wide, mournful eyes had settled on me, and I could tell they weren’t going anywhere until I explained that a little better.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
