EN

Synonyms for doleful

  • adjective

Most common

somber US mournful plaintive lugubrious

All synonyms

Adjective

mournful, sad, lugubrious, sorrowful, melancholy, plaintive, gloomy, somber US, sombre UK, cheerless, dismal, forlorn, piteous, dark, rueful, woeful, disconsolate, glum, wretched, dreary, depressing, joyless, dejected

Antonyms

happy, bright, jovial

All antonyms of doleful →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Filled with grief, mournful, bringing feelings of sadness.

    A doleful expression that tugged at my heartstrings.

Example sentences

  • somber We heard somber hollow sounds from the cave.
  • mournful Tom stood at the window with a mournful expression on his face.
  • plaintive The plaintive melody broke her heart.
  • lugubrious I'd prefer to be called lugubrious rather than a sad sack.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
dolefulrising
somberrising
mournfulrising
plaintiverising
lugubrioussteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
sad1
4 letters
dark1, glum1
6 letters
gloomy2, dismal2, dreary2, somber2, sombre, woeful2, rueful2
7 letters
forlorn2, joyless, piteous
8 letters
wretched2, dejected3, mournful2
9 letters
sorrowful3, plaintive2, cheerless
10 letters
depressing3, melancholy4, lugubrious4
12 letters
disconsolate

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (gloomy2 = 2 syllables).