doleful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When no one is around, the doleful ex-judge listens to Italian gangsta rap, and sometimes even raps along with it, suggesting he isn’t quite the stereotype others assume him to be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
His agent has booked him a gig as “Sad American,” a role he can easily play with his looming height, doleful eyes and a heart he wears on his sleeve.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
That doleful mood pervades these interpretations: a sadly beautiful tone; an emotional climax that evaporates rather than reaching a resolution; a heartbreakingly simple plunk of high keys.
From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024
Shouldn’t all movies feature a disillusioned astrophysicist, particularly one as charmingly doleful as Stanfield’s character?
From Seattle Times • Jul. 25, 2023
Even that most doleful of Christian laments—“Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”—sounded snappy and upbeat through these women’s windpipes as they sauntered along: “Nani oze mpasi zazo! Nani oze mpasi!”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Vocabulary lists containing doleful
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton
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"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
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