doleful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of doleful
First recorded in 1225–75, doleful is from the Middle English word dol-ful. See dole 2, -ful
Explanation
To be doleful is to be down in the dumps, to have a hole in your soul, to be full of woe. Doleful has nothing to do with a doe, a deer or a female deer. Unless one of those animals has a really sad look in its eyes. Expressions can be doleful, ditto a song or a set of circumstances. You can use the adjective doleful to describe something that is bringing you down, that makes you want to give into gravity or crawl into bed. Doleful is pretty much the opposite of how a ray of golden sun can make you feel.
Vocabulary lists containing doleful
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton
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"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
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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.
A doleful tale, but Mr. Ogilvy also leavens it with humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Doonesbury”—which still publishes once a week—has always had more words than most other cartoons and very little action, its closing note often one of doleful recognition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
With his doleful singing voice and a prolific work rate, he's transformed the sound of música urbana, combining elements of trap, hip-hop and R&B with the traditional sounds of Latin pop.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
Set in the high-rises of the Cabrini-Green housing project in 1992, when the beleaguered complex’s decline was palpable, it sounds like a recipe for doleful poverty-gazing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2024
There was only one problem, and that was David, who as soon as we crossed the state line from Pennsylvania had begun to look a little doleful.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
