mournful
/'mɔ:nful/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Feeling or expressing sorrow or grief: Describes a person who is deeply sad or an atmosphere filled with sadness.
- Causing or evoking a feeling of sadness: Describes something, such as a sound, sight, or event, that makes one feel sorrowful.
Usage
- Used to describe a person's appearance, expression, or demeanor when they are sad.
- Used to describe sounds (like a cry or song), places, or situations that have a quality of sadness.
- Often used in formal or literary contexts to convey deep, poignant sorrow.
Examples
- Describing a person or expression:
- She had a mournful look in her eyes after hearing the news.
- The mournful widow stood silently by the graveside.
- Describing a sound or atmosphere:
- The mournful sound of the cello filled the concert hall.
- The abandoned house had a mournful silence about it.
Advanced Usage
- "Mournful of" (archaic/poetic): Feeling sorrow about something.
- He was mournful of the lost opportunities of his youth.
- Used to intensify the description of a lament or cry.
- The mournful wail of the sirens signaled the disaster.
Variants and Related Words
- Mournfully (adverb): In a sorrowful manner.
- He sighed mournfully.
- Mournfulness (noun): The state or quality of being mournful.
- The mournfulness of the melody was palpable.
- Mourning (noun/verb): The act of expressing grief, especially after a death. (Note: This is a related but distinct word).
- The family is in mourning.
Synonyms
- Sorrowful: Full of or feeling sorrow.
- Doleful: Expressing sorrow; mournful.
- Melancholy: A feeling of pensive sadness.
- Lugubrious: Looking or sounding sad and dismal.
- Woeful: Characterized by, expressing, or causing sorrow or misery.
Antonyms
- Joyful: Feeling or expressing great happiness.
- Cheerful: Noticeably happy and optimistic.
- Jubilant: Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- A mournful tune: A song or melody that sounds sad.
- The musician played a mournful tune on his violin.
- To cast a mournful shadow: To create an atmosphere of sadness.
- The tragedy cast a mournful shadow over the small town.
Adjective
-
filled with or evoking sadness
-
the child's doleful expression
-
stared with mournful eyes
-
mournful news
-
-
expressing sorrow
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