ˈdōlfəl adjective
( dolefuller ; dolefullest )
Etymology: Middle English dolful, doelful, delful, from dol, doel, del dole + -ful — more at dole (grief)
1.
a. : causing grief or affliction : woeful , lamentable
a head and heart full of doleful thoughts, anxieties, and fears — Nathaniel Hawthorne
b. : attended with or indicating grief or a morose or despairing attitude : cheerless
in the dolefullest dumps after flunking
abandoning the argument, she gave a doleful shake of her head
c. : disconsolate
the doleful one is obviously the defeated competitor
2.
a. : expressing mourning or lamentation
the body is carried around in front of the mourners, who are singing a very doleful dirge — W.H.Goodenough
b. : evoking sadness or gloom : inducing depression of spirits : lugubrious
he was constitutionally gloomy, a congenital pessimist who always saw the doleful side of any situation — W.A.White
• dole·ful·ly -fəlē, -li adverb
• dole·ful·ness -lnə̇s noun -es