DOLEFULLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

dolefully

adverb

as in bitterly

with feelings of bitterness or grief the novelist dolefully remarked that the proceeds from his last book would scarcely buy a dollhouse, let alone a real house

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Recent Examples of dolefully There’s ample gore and jumpy moments, but the true scariness here is of the forlorn kind; leads Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen play the mounting nightmare with ache and desperation, elevating the emotional tenor of a dolefully eerie movie. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 31 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dolefully

Adverb

Many clergy bitterly opposed the handover of the villages and criticized Pashinyan, who came to power in the South Caucasus nation amid a wave of hopeful, pro-democracy protests that swept Armenia in 2018.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
Congressional Republicans are headed into the home stretch ahead of a crucial midterm election year bitterly divided over their competing legislative priorities.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of bitterly

Adverb

My summer dresses will sadly be retired in the coming weeks, but a denim midi skirt is the ideal swap on days when I can’t be bothered to wear jeans.

— Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 4 Aug. 2026
Culture matters, and too often sadly those who are being asked to pay the price of climate change are not those who were putting carbon into the atmosphere in the first place.

— Morgan Simon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of sadly

Adverb

Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.

— John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026

Definition of mournfully

Adverb

Unfortunately, Winger committed the mortal sins of having a pretty boy lead singer and painfully cheesy videos (even by 80s standards), so most people dismissed them and Beach as cheap imitators.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
His distance from Henry was painfully emphasized when his son got in trouble for bullying another classmate, and the idea of Michelle (Andrea Anders) getting engaged to someone else sent him into a tailspin.

— Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of painfully

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“Dolefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dolefully. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dolefully

adverb

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