Word
dolorous
Phoneticsdo·lor·ous
/ˈdoʊləɹəs/
Definition
adj. feeling or showing great sadness or pain. It describes a mood or look that is very unhappy.
adj. marked by, causing, or expressing grief or sorrow. Often used in literary contexts to describe a mournful physical appearance or atmosphere.
Examples
“The music had a dolorous tone that made everyone feel sad.”
“The widow sat in the front row with a dolorous expression that silenced the entire room.”
“The poet's later works are characterized by a dolorous preoccupation with mortality, reflecting the personal losses he suffered during the war.”
Examples
simple
“The music had a dolorous tone that made everyone feel sad.”
contextual
“The widow sat in the front row with a dolorous expression that silenced the entire room.”
complex
“The poet's later works are characterized by a dolorous preoccupation with mortality, reflecting the personal losses he suffered during the war.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun; carries a formal or literary tone.
Real-World Examples
“In a 1970 profile, The Guardian characterized her as "beautifully gaunt, heroically dolorous… a delicate, bird-like figure… pale-skinned, wistful, and nearly devoid of expression.” “During the afternoon, Lana Del Rey appears wearing a summer dress rather than, as her songs might suggest, a bloodstained prom gown but she has a dolorous, detached manner which is entirely in character.” “The Defense of Marriage Act still stands. DOMA still prohibits federally recognising same-sex marriages, and thus, grotesquely, makes the lives of gay men and lesbians financially, personally, and logistically, far more dolorous than the lives of their straight friends.” Etymology
From Middle English dolorous, from Old French dolerous (modern French douloureux), from Late Latin dolōrōsus (“painful”), from Latin dolor; a doublet of dolorose.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/dolorous