mournfulness

Word family

• mourn
  verbB2
• mourning
  nounB2
• mournful
  adjectiveC1
• mournfully
  adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mournfulness is close to sadness and sorrow, but it often names the way sadness shows itself in a voice, face, or atmosphere. Sadness is the broad everyday word for feeling unhappy. Sorrow is deeper and more direct, especially after a painful loss. Grief is stronger still and is usually linked to death or another life-changing loss. Melancholy often sounds more thoughtful or artistic, and it may appear without one clear cause. Mournfulness sits between these words: it suggests a dark, quiet sadness that other people can sense, even when nobody says much. A singer's voice, an empty room, or a rainy street can all carry mournfulness.

Common collocations

Etymology

Mournfulness was formed in English from mournful plus the noun ending -ness. The older base mourn comes from Old English murnan, meaning to grieve or feel sorrow. The newer noun keeps that idea and names the quality of seeming deeply and quietly sad.