sorrowful
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
feeling or showing great sadness, often in a quiet or serious way.
exhibiting or expressing deep sorrow, grief, or regret. Often used to describe a person's facial expression, voice, or general demeanour.
Simple“She gave him a sorrowful look as he prepared to leave for the airport.”
In context“The widow stood by the window with a sorrowful expression, watching the rain wash away the footprints in the garden.”
UsageCommonly modifies nouns related to expression, such as 'look', 'eyes', 'voice', or 'smile'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
causing you to feel deep sadness or grief.
inducing or characterized by sorrow; distressing or tragic in nature.
Simple“It was a sorrowful day for the whole town when the old library burned down.”
In context“The historian recounted the sorrowful events that led to the collapse of the peace treaty and the subsequent conflict.”
Teacher's tipWhile 'sad' is the everyday choice, 'sorrowful' adds a layer of weight and formality, often implying a long-lasting or profound grief.
SynonymsAntonyms
From Middle English sorweful, from Old English sorhful, sorgful (“full of care; anxious; sorrowful”), from Proto-Germanic *surgafullaz (“full of care; anxious”), equivalent to sorrow + -ful. Cognate with Old High German sorgfol (“careful; anxious”), Norwegian sorgfull (“sorrowful”), Icelandic sorgfullur (“lamentable”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.