dolorous

Dolorous is an English adjective meaning full of, or expressing, sorrow or pain; it denotes melancholy, grim, or distressing in nature. It is often used to describe events, occasions, or expressions that induce or reflect sadness. For example, dolorous tidings or a dolorous cry. The term can also describe a mood or atmosphere, such as a dolorous silence. In broader usage, it can intensify the emotional weight beyond ordinary grief.

Etymology: Dolorous derives from Middle English dolourous, from Old French doloreux, from Latin dolorosus, from dolor “pain, grief.” The root is preserved in related terms; the sense of physical or emotional pain remains central.

Usage notes: Dolorous is comparatively formal and somewhat archaic in contemporary English, more likely found in literary, religious, or historical writing than in everyday speech. It is closely related to, but distinct from, doleful (grievously sad or mournful) and sorrowful (showing or expressing sorrow). Dolorous often bears a weightier, more severe tone, sometimes with a sense of doom or irremediable sadness.

Examples in language: The phrase “dolorous bells tolled for the fallen” conveys solemn mourning. A sentence such as “a dolorous fate foretold” signals a grave, inexorable sadness. In modern prose, it tends to appear in formal or literary contexts rather than in casual conversation.