mourning
Americannoun
-
the act of a person who mourns; sorrowing or lamentation.
- Antonyms:
- rejoicing
-
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.
-
the outward symbols of such sorrow, as black garments.
-
the period or interval during which a person grieves or formally expresses grief, as by wearing black garments.
adjective
noun
-
the act or feelings of one who mourns; grief
-
the conventional symbols of grief, such as the wearing of black
-
the period of time during which a death is officially mourned
-
observing the conventions of mourning
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of mourning
before 900; Middle English (noun, adj.); Old English murnung (noun). See mourn, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Mourning is a time of sadness because of a loss. When you're in mourning after a loved one dies, it is good to lean on your friends who understand why you are so sad. Mourning is an expression of grief or a time of grieving that follows a loved one's death or other serious loss. Depression, confusion, even losing interest in friends and social activities all can occur when someone is in mourning. An old-fashioned meaning of mourning is specifically the black clothing people traditionally wear following a death. Don't confuse mourning with morning, the early part of the day.
Vocabulary lists containing mourning
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Ghost Boys
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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.
Mourning is ever-developing and growing and changing and mutating.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Kim, who has been a tattoo artist for eight years and runs her own Mourning Star Tattoo parlour, said the industry had become "much more mainstream now" and agrees more safety regulation is needed.
From BBC • Nov. 28, 2024
Mourning is also a necessary response to our changing climate.
From Slate • Aug. 18, 2024
In the wake of Fowler’s killing, his and McAllister’s mother, Tameco Brewster, founded a nonprofit for those grieving gun deaths, the Movement of Mourning Mothers Assn.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2024
Tomorrow was Mourning, but the day after there would be stories!
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
