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.
The enigmatic trumpets sounded at the film’s beginning re-enter, their meaning now terribly clear; the orchestra convulses and collapses, and Alex marches upstairs, shown in an aerial shot punctuated with doleful timpani.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
A doleful tale, but Mr. Ogilvy also leavens it with humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Measles is the canary in the coal mine for vaccination and public health, and at this moment, the canary is singing a doleful tune.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
With his doleful singing voice and a prolific work rate, he's transformed the sound of música urbana, combining elements of trap, hip-hop and R&B with the traditional sounds of Latin pop.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
If the doleful experience of cultural conflict on Earth were the galactic standard, it seems we would already have been destroyed, perhaps with some passing admiration expressed for Shakespeare, Bach and Vermeer.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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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