What does dolorous mean?
Dolorous is an adjective used to describe something marked by profound sorrow, grief, or mourning — whether a facial expression, a tone of voice, a song, or an account of misfortune. It derives from the Latin dolor, meaning pain or grief, entering English through Old French during the Middle Ages. Because of its Latin pedigree, dolorous has always carried a formal, literary flavor: it appears most often in poetry, novels, and elevated prose rather than everyday conversation. To call someone's words dolorous is to say they drip with sadness, sometimes almost theatrically so. The adverb dolorously and the noun dolorousness extend its use. Related words include doleful, condole, and the noun dolor itself. For writers seeking a weighty, expressive alternative to sad or gloomy, dolorous offers both precision and gravity.
adjectiveFeeling or expressing great sorrow or distress; mournful and grief-laden in tone or appearance.
- Expressing or evoking deep sorrow or grief; mournful in tone, manner, or appearance.
"The novel's dolorous final chapter left readers in tears."
"She spoke of her late husband in a quiet, dolorous voice."
"The choir sang a dolorous lament that echoed through the cathedral."
"Dolor" — the Latin word for pain — hides inside this word, making it a distant cousin of "condole" and even "indolent."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dolorous
Dolorous comes from the Latin dolor, meaning pain or grief, which passed into Old French as dolor before yielding the adjective doloros. English adopted the word in the medieval period, retaining its sense of sorrow and mourning. It shares its Latin root with condole (to grieve with someone), indolent (literally 'not feeling pain'), and the noun dolor, which survives chiefly in poetic contexts and in the phrase 'Ave Maria, gratia plena... Mater Dolorosa.'
Related word forms
How dolorous is actually used
A literary and formal word; it carries a somewhat elevated, even theatrical connotation compared to plainer terms like sad or sorrowful.
Easily confused with dolorous
Dolor is a noun meaning sorrow or pain (also the Spanish word for pain), while dolorous is the adjective describing something that expresses such sorrow.