Standard Lemma guide

sorrowfulness

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The quality or state of sorrow; sadness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misery, unhappiness, blueness, tristesse, mirthless, blues, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondency, distress, dolefulness, downheartedness, drearihead, forlornness, grief, heartsore, ill-being, infelicity, melancholia, melancholy, mishappiness, mourn, prosternation, regret, rue, ruth, sadness, sorrow, sorrowfulness, tristfulness, undelight, woe, woefare, wretchedness

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a state of gloomy sorrow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mournfulness, ruthfulness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sorrow

Narrower terms: woe, woefulness, plaintiveness

3

noun

Meaning 3

the state of being sad

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she tired of his perpetual sadness

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sadness, sorrow

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unhappiness

Narrower terms: mourning, bereavement, poignance, poignancy

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sorwefulnesse; by surface analysis, sorrowful + ness.