doloroso

Doloroso is an adjective used in Spanish and Italian with senses related to pain and sorrow. In Spanish, it describes things that cause physical pain (una herida dolorosa) and things that provoke emotional distress (un recuerdo doloroso, un momento doloroso). In musical and literary contexts, it can indicate a somber or mournful mood, as in a passage marked doloroso.

In Italian, doloroso similarly means “painful” or “sorrowful” and appears in everyday language as well as in artistic terms.

Etymology and form: Doloroso comes from Latin dolorosus, from dolor meaning “pain, grief.” In both Spanish and Italian, the adjective agrees with gender and number (masculine singular doloroso, feminine singular dolorosa; plural dolorosi, dolorose).

Usage notes: The term conveys a sense of severity or emotional weight beyond a mere injury. It is closely related to but not identical with terms such as penoso (pitiable), trágico (tragic), or dolorido (hurt or lamenting). In English, doloroso is rarely used outside discussions of Spanish or Italian language or music terminology.

Related terms: dolor (pain), sufrimiento (suffering), pena (grief), dolorido (wounded or grieving).

See also: dolor, pena, sufrimiento.