sorrowful
Americanadjective
-
full of or feeling sorrow; grieved; sad.
- Synonyms:
- unhappy
-
showing or expressing sorrow; mournful; plaintive.
a sorrowful song.
- Synonyms:
- melancholy
-
involving or causing sorrow; distressing.
a sorrowful event.
- Synonyms:
- heartbreaking, piteous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sorrowful
before 900; Middle English sorowful, Old English sorgful. See sorrow, -ful
Explanation
Use the adjective sorrowful to describe a sad feeling, especially when it involves grief or loss. You feel sorrowful when you lose someone you love. Sorrowful is a melancholy adjective: when your heart is broken, you are sorrowful, and when your beloved cat dies you're also sorrowful. There is a sense of permanent loss behind the word sorrowful. It comes from the sense of being "full of sorrow," and the ultimate root is the Old English word sorg, which means "grief, regret, trouble, or care."
Vocabulary lists containing sorrowful
The Cay
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List 10
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Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
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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.
“Never did I see a more sorrowful sight, nor witness retribution to the nth degree,” he lamented.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani described his passing as "sorrowful", calling him a "noble and thoughtful actor of Iranian cinema" in a post on X.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
“The official culture in Iran in the ‘80s was very sorrowful because of the war, and Shiite Islam was very oriented towards mourning.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025
Given their own sorrowful history, Einhorn argued, it was the Jews’ special obligation to fight against oppression and prejudice, not just for their own sake, but “for the whole world.”
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2025
A sorrowful look came over Papa’s face as he ran his fingers through the soft, yellow hair.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
