Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of sorrowful

99 similar words

Another word for sorrowful is depressed. Other synonyms of sorrowful are miserable, unhappy, sad, heavy-hearted and low-spirited.

Synonyms and similar words for sorrowful

adjectiveExhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person).

  • grievousCausing grief, pain, or sorrow.
  • lamentableCausing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.
  • mournfulFilled with grief or sadness; being in a state in which one mourns.
  • sorrow-riddenFilled with sorrow or sorrows.
  • sorrowsomeMarked by sorrow; sad; dreary; sorrowful.
  • atrabiliary
  • atrabilious
  • blithelessWithout happiness or joy; unjoyful; sorrowful; sad.
  • dispiritedWithout energy, gusto or drive, enervated, without the will to accomplish, disheartened.
  • blueDepressed, melancholic, sad.
  • bummed outDepressed, disappointed, in a gloomy mood.
  • chapfallenCrestfallen, dejected.
  • cheerlessDevoid of cheer; gloomy.
  • chopfallenSynonym of chapfallen.
  • crestfallen
  • cut up Australia, UKEmotionally upset; mentally distressed.
  • damp figuratively
  • dejectedSad and dispirited.
  • depressedUnhappy; despondent.
  • despondentIn low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
  • disgruntledIn a dissatisfied, frustrated, or upset mood; in a bad temper or ill humour.
  • disconsolateSeemingly beyond consolation; inconsolable.
  • disheartenedDiscouraged, despairing.
  • dismalDepressing, dreary, cheerless.
  • dolefulFilled with grief, mournful, bringing feelings of sadness.
  • dolesomeCharacterised or marked by sorrow and grief; doleful; dismal; gloomy.
  • downSad, unhappy, depressed, feeling low.
  • down in the dumpsSad; lacking engagement or enthusiasm.
  • down in the mouthSad or discouraged, especially as indicated by one's facial appearance.
  • downcastOf a person: feeling despondent or discouraged.
  • downheartedSad, discouraged, in low spirits, unhappy, having no hope.
  • downsomeLow-spirited; melancholy.
  • dullBored, depressed, down.
  • elegiacExpressing sorrow or mourning.
  • elegiousMelancholy, miserable, plaintive.
  • forlornPitifully sad, wretched, miserable; lonely, especially from feeling abandoned, deserted, forsaken.
  • gloomySuffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
  • glumDespondent; moody; sullen.
  • grief-strickenVery sad.
  • grievingFeeling or showing sorrow or distress due to loss, especially the death of someone.
  • heavy-heartedSad, melancholic.
  • heartsoreHeartsick.
  • heartsickVery despondent or sorrowful; heartsore.
  • inconsolableNot consolable; unable to be consoled or comforted, usually due to grief, disappointment, or other distress.
  • infelicitous
  • jawfallenDejected, dispirited.
  • joylessWithout joy; unhappy, sad.
  • lachrymoseTearful, sorrowful, sad, pertaining to tears, weeping, causing tears or crying.
  • lowDepressed in mood, dejected, sad.
  • low-spiritedDisheartened, feeling low, in low spirits.
  • lugubriousGloomy, mournful or dismal, especially to an exaggerated degree.
  • melancholicFilled with or affected by melancholy—great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
  • melancholyAffected with great sadness or depression.
  • miserableIn a state of misery: very sad, ill, or poor.
  • moodySulky or depressed.
  • mopeyGiven to moping; in a depressed condition, low in spirits; lackadaisical.
  • moroseSullen, gloomy; showing a brooding ill humour.
  • plaintiveSounding sorrowful, mournful or melancholic.
  • PlutonianOf, relating to, or having characteristics associated with the underworld; dark, gloomy; mournful.
  • PlutonicSynonym of Plutonian (“of, relating to, or having characteristics associated with the underworld; dark, gloomy...
  • querulousOften complaining; suggesting a complaint in expression; fretful, whining.
  • ruthfulFull of sorrow; sorrowful; woeful; rueful.
  • sadCausing sorrow; lamentable.
  • saddened
  • saturnineOf a person: having a tendency to be cold and gloomy.
  • shatteredEmotionally defeated or dispirited.
  • solemn
  • sombreMelancholic, gloomy, dreary, dismal; grim.
  • spiritlessLacking energy, drive, motivation or emotion. Enervated.
  • sullenGloomy; dismal; foreboding.
  • threneticSorrowful; mournful.
  • threneticalThrenetic.
  • uncheerfulNot cheerful.
  • uncheeryNot cheery; gloomy, pessimistic.
  • unconsolableSynonym of inconsolable.
  • unhappyNot happy; sad.
  • unlivelyNot lively.
  • wistfulSad and thoughtful.
  • woebegoneOf a person: deeply affected or overwhelmed by suffering or trouble, and so filled with woe (“great distress or...
  • woefulFull of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.
  • wretchedCharacterized by or feeling deep affliction or distress; very miserable.
  • lamentful rareReplete with lamentation; mournful.
  • lumpish obsoleteMiserable, sad.
  • passionate obsoleteSuffering; sorrowful.
  • triste rareSad; sorrowful; gloomy.
  • tristful archaicSad, melancholic.
  • woe obsoleteWoeful; sorrowful.

adjectiveProducing sorrow; causing grief.

Meaning of sorrowful

  1. adjective Exhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person).
  2. adjective Producing sorrow; causing grief.

Full definition of sorrowful

sorrowful in other languages

Questions about synonyms of sorrowful

What is another word for sorrowful?
Sorrowful has 99 synonyms on Word.ws, such as depressed, miserable, unhappy, sad, heavy-hearted, low-spirited, grief-stricken and melancholy.
What does sorrowful mean?
Sorrowful means exhibiting sorrow; dejected; distraught; sad. (of a person).

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sorrowful (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of sorrowful.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/sorrowful. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.