Doleful

  • 1Doleful — Dole ful, a. Full of dole or grief; expressing or exciting sorrow; sorrowful; sad; dismal. [1913 Webster] With screwed face and doleful whine. South. [1913 Webster] Regions of sorrow, doleful shades. Milton. Syn: Piteous; rueful; sorrowful;… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2doleful — index deplorable, disconsolate, lamentable, lugubrious Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 3doleful — late 13c., with FUL (Cf. ful), from M.E. dole grief (early 13c.), from O.Fr. doel (Mod.Fr. deuil), from L.L. dolus grief, from L. dolere suffer, grieve. Related: Dolefully …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4doleful — lugubrious, dolorous, *melancholy, plaintive, rueful Analogous words: mourning or mournful, sorrowing or sorrowful, grieving (see corresponding verbs at GRIEVE): piteous, *pitiful Antonyms: cheerful, cheery …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 5doleful — [adj] depressing afflicted, cast down, cheerless, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, dirgeful, dismal, dispirited, distressing, dolent, dolorous, down, downcast, downhearted, down in the mouth*, dreary, forlorn, funereal, gloomy, grieving,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 6doleful — ► ADJECTIVE 1) sorrowful. 2) causing grief or misfortune. DERIVATIVES dolefully adverb. ORIGIN from Old French doel mourning , from Latin dolere grieve …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7doleful — [dōl′səmdōl′fəl] adj. [ME dolful < dol, grief (< OFr doel < VL dolus, grief, pain < L dolere, to suffer < IE base * del , *dol , to split, cut) + ful, FUL] full of or causing sorrow or sadness; mournful; melancholy: also Rare… …

    English World dictionary

  • 8doleful — adjective Date: 13th century 1. causing grief or affliction < a doleful loss > 2. full of grief ; cheerless < a doleful face > 3. expressing grief ; sad < a doleful melody > • …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 9doleful — [[t]do͟ʊlfʊl[/t]] ADJ GRADED A doleful expression, manner, or voice is depressing and miserable. He stared over his glasses with a long, doleful look of disbelief. Syn: mournful Derived words: dolefully ADV GRADED ADV with v I don t know why they …

    English dictionary

  • 10doleful — dolefully, adv. dolefulness, n. /dohl feuhl/, adj. sorrowful; mournful; melancholy: a doleful look on her face. [1225 75; ME dol ful. See DOLE2, FUL] * * * …

    Universalium

Pages