mourning

American  

[mawr-ning, mohr-] / ˈmɔr nɪŋ, ˈmoʊr- /

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.

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adjective

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

mourning British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of or relating to mourning

Other Word Forms

• mourningly adverb
• unmourning adjective

Etymology

Origin of mourning

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

Example Sentences

I sat for a while after he hung up on me, mourning the Dad I never had, as if the loss was new, rather than forever, before my grief turned into white-hot fury.

From Literature

“The Vikings are mourning the loss of Ring of Honor member Joey Browner,” the team said Sunday in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

For the remainder of the 40-day mourning period, richer meat curries and kebabs are added.

From BBC

Suddenly she was a single mother of two daughters, mourning the deaths of her husband from typhoid fever and their first daughter, who died of brain fever.

From The Wall Street Journal

The singer's sudden death sparked anger and distress among millions of fans in his home state Assam, and set off a wave of mourning.

From BBC

Related Words

• grief