mourning

[mawr-ning, mohr-]

noun

1. the act of a person who mourns; sorrowing or lamentation.

   Antonyms: rejoicing

2. the conventional manifestation of sorrow for a person's death, especially by the wearing of black clothes or a black armband, the hanging of flags at half-mast, etc.

3. the outward symbols of such sorrow, as black garments.

4. the period or interval during which a person grieves or formally expresses grief, as by wearing black garments.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or used in mourning.

mourning

/ ˈmɔːnɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or feelings of one who mourns; grief

2. the conventional symbols of grief, such as the wearing of black

3. the period of time during which a death is officially mourned

4. observing the conventions of mourning

adjective

1. of or relating to mourning

Other Word Forms

• mourningly adverb
• unmourning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mourning¹

before 900; Middle English (noun, adj.); Old English murnung (noun). See mourn, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

They are also being urged to wear black as a sign of "mourning and resistance".

Read more on BBC

But the book reveals the personal guilt he felt after Princess Diana died in 1997 - to the extent that he joined the mourning crowds at Buckingham Palace.

Read more on BBC

A generation of “Dazed and Confused” fans is mourning the potential loss of a landmark—one of the vanishing symbols of Old Austin.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I remember mourning Grandma’s passing, wallowing in my sadness, only to come to Asamando and meet Ama—and to have her claim to be Grandma.

Read more on Literature

The Widow Ashton wore yet another gloomy yet fashionable head covering from her extensive wardrobe of mourning caps; the veil covered her face so that her reaction could not be seen.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• grief