Synonyms

sorrowful

American

[sor-uh-fuhl, sawr-] / ˈsɒr ə fəl, ˈsɔr- /

adjective

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

oversorrowful adjective
oversorrowfully adverb
oversorrowfulness noun
sorrowfully adverb
sorrowfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of sorrowful

before 900; Middle English sorowful, Old English sorgful. See sorrow, -ful

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

Figueroa, 29, lived up to his moniker, 'Heartbreaker', on a deflating and sorrowful night for 'Wrecking' Ball and the Liverpool crowd.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 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

At the start, music is mournful but not quite sorrowful, a lightly contemplative jazz-inspired feel anchored by a steel hang drum.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

And the owners of them, sullen faced, unrepentant, pushed by the Eyes against the walls of their bedrooms, while the sorrowful voice of the announcer tells us voice-over about their perfidy and ungratefulness.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023