SORROWFUL Synonyms: 202 Similar and Opposite Words

sorrowful

adjective

ˈsär-(ˌ)ō-fəl

Definition of sorrowful

as in mournful

expressing or suggesting mourning adopted a sorrowful tone of voice to read the news story about the former governor's death

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sad

feeling unhappiness the cult seemed to be a sorrowful assemblage of emotionally scarred people seeking love and redemption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sorrowful Ulysses expresses sorrowful regret for having disobeyed Zeus’ Law – essentially the Golden Rule – in sacking Troy. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026 Much like their 1990s grunge and alt-rock contemporaries in America, Canada’s Our Lady Peace were writing and recording murky, sorrowful songs about youthful frustration and adult rage, love lost and societal alienation. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2026 This movie’s nail-biting, sorrowful power comes from what internalized destruction looks like. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 There were women like her—some Indigenous and some African-looking sorrowful in their coarse linen shifts, huddling together. — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for sorrowful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorrowful

Adjective

East Suffolk, a windblown span of marshy coastland, has a reputation for stark, mournful beauty, and for drawing creative people with a taste for isolation and escape.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
And after Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024, dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of mournful

Adjective

When the modern-day world has nothing to offer us but AI slop, shrinkflation and a sad acceptance that we can't be bothered to do anything about global warming.

— Ian Stokes, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
This island that was so fantastic has become Work Island and that’s sad.

— Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Adjective

Dudus was apparently unhappy about a recent NBC News article that exposed Combs’ cushy life behind bars.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Tim Boyd San Juan Capistrano I’m sure there are Dodgers fans unhappy about losing to the Brewers.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

While mourning her father, the heartbroken Sara uses a piece of chalk to draw a circle on the floor of the attic resembling the one Rama creates to protect Sita.

— Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Adjective

Celebrated as masterpieces today, at the time they were regarded as the unpolished works of a depressed, crazy man and commercially worthless.

— Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
In the event of a severe winter or import bottlenecks, depressed storage levels not only narrow Europe's capacity to absorb supply shocks but also risk driving natural gas prices higher.

— , CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of depressed

Adjective

Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Cincinnati – the latest miserable day during this depressing season - crystallized several issues that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley must navigate in the days and weeks ahead.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Probably get out and do that, like, half-walk, half-jog thing and then show up, like, really sweaty and miserable.

— Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

sorrow (for)

sorrowful

sorrowfully

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“Sorrowful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorrowful. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sorrowful

adjective

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