doleful

adjective

dole·ful ˈdōl-fəl

: full of grief : cheerless

a doleful face

: expressing grief : sad

a doleful melody

: causing grief or affliction

a doleful loss

dolefully

ˈdōl-fə-lē

adverb

dolefulness noun

Example Sentences

The girl had a doleful look on her face. You sounded so doleful about your future that night.

Recent Examples on the Web And yet, many inside the church view these transitioners, if that’s a word, in a mournful manner, speaking of them in hushed, doleful tones, as though their faith decisions will lead them to nothing but pain and sorrow.

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Oct. 2022 The reviews have been savage, with the film languishing at a doleful 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Oct. 2022 The formal compositions of DP Barton Cortright, who also shot D’Ambrose’s Notes on an Appearance, bristle with doleful undercurrents, as if Terence Davies’ indelible Distant Voices, Still Lives had been washed and rinsed in Long Island sunlight.

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sep. 2022 In a career spanning half a century, Hall was a quintessential character actor, a ubiquitous hangdog face whose doleful appearance could shroud a booming intensity and humble gravitas.

Jake Coyle, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2022 With his raspy delivery, grizzled hair and doleful face, Hall excelled as government and military officials with urgent agendas as well as Hollywood and business executives with ulterior motives.

Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2022 With his raspy delivery, grizzled hair and doleful face, Mr. Hall excelled as government and military officials with urgent agendas as well as Hollywood and business executives with ulterior motives.

Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, 13 June 2022 In a career spanning half a century, Hall was a ubiquitous hangdog face whose doleful, weary appearance could shroud a booming intensity and humble sensitivity.

Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2022 Quixotic is a mild term for the compulsions that grip these people, and their adventures are more harrowing than anything Cervantes’s knight of the doleful countenance ever experienced.

A. O. Scott, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'doleful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.