- Today's Word
Doleful
DOHL-ful
Definition
(adjective) Expressing sorrow or sadness; mournful.
Example
The dog gave her a doleful look when she left for work without him.
Word Origin
Middle English: from “dole” meaning “grief or sorrow” (from Old French “doel,” from Latin “dolere” meaning “to grieve”) + “-ful.”
Fun Fact
Doleful perfectly captures that particular expression dogs make when they want something—those sad, pleading eyes that suggest profound suffering despite being perfectly fine. The word connects to “condolences” through shared Latin roots in grief and sorrow. Medieval writers loved doleful to describe tragic heroes, mournful songs, and sorrowful landscapes. While sadness has countless synonyms, doleful carries a theatrical quality that makes sorrow almost performative—it’s grief you can see and hear, whether in a hound’s whimper or a poet’s lament.