1
as in somber
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the diner's dim lighting makes eating there a particularly lugubrious experience
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2
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
in Victorian times, people who could affect particularly lugubrious expressions were hired to march in funeral processions as professional mourners
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lugubrious
Look at picture No. 107 in the exhibition of 1874: another of Morisot’s lugubrious bourgeois bachelorettes.
—
The Learning Network, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The locker room was far from lugubrious following an indicting 114-98 loss Tuesday to the weary and mediocre Miami Heat.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Thus, the adaptation is a dialogue-heavy film (and not only by comparison with its silent forebear, which indeed has dialogue, in the form of intertitles) and a sluggish, lugubrious one.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Chu, however, takes Wicked very seriously indeed; so much so that he’s stretched out the musical’s 90-minute first act into a lugubrious two hours and 40 minutes, mostly by keeping the pacing slow and solemn.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
The Learning Network, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The locker room was far from lugubrious following an indicting 114-98 loss Tuesday to the weary and mediocre Miami Heat.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Thus, the adaptation is a dialogue-heavy film (and not only by comparison with its silent forebear, which indeed has dialogue, in the form of intertitles) and a sluggish, lugubrious one.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Chu, however, takes Wicked very seriously indeed; so much so that he’s stretched out the musical’s 90-minute first act into a lugubrious two hours and 40 minutes, mostly by keeping the pacing slow and solemn.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lugubrious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lugubrious
Adjective
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Rayburn partners up with local sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis) in a somber yet tumultuous pursuit of a killer who uses brutal traps and primal tactics.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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That’s the question writer-director Ari Aster’s somber comedy-Western Eddington, playing in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival, appears to be asking.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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The slow, mournful piano chords capture the somber bite of the scene with remarkable punch yet also a sobering stillness, and that’s before the elegiac words carry the song off into the sky.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2025
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Wynette’s mournful lyrics about a partner who has left—will one protagonist leave the other during the game’s main campaign?—to the sound of lonely, sad acoustic country music is the flip side of Wang Chung’s carefree spirit.—
Brady Gerber,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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The latest Email Threat Trends Report from VIPRE paints a bleak picture.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Related article Putin just called Trump’s bluff on Ukraine, with the Russian art of the ‘no’ deal Ukraine in 2025 is a bleak prospect.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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The investigation specifically focused on 1,422 fathers who were screened for depressive symptoms when their children were five years old, Schmitz told Newsweek.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
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For every past depressive episode, the likelihood of having another one goes up.—
Carolyn L. Todd,
SELF,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Bright red ribbons decorate the trees and signposts of northwest suburban Niles in anticipation of a funeral procession and service today to honor Chicago Fire Department Capt. David Meyer, who was killed last week while battling a suspicious garage fire in the Austin neighborhood.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
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The funeral Mass for Pope Francis was attended by many world leaders including President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The mortality rates of small indie presses and literary journals are a depressing feature of our cultural landscape.—
Michael Washburn,
National Review,
25 May 2025
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Despite there being ample intrigue and mystery around what happened to Peter's first wife, the truth is pretty depressing.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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On the internet, though, he is deemed as the heartbroken, brooding type because ...—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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Sherine Smith, a former Capistrano teacher and former Laguna Beach Unified School District superintendent, said the meeting’s tone left her heartbroken.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lugubrious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lugubrious. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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