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lugubrious

/luˈɡjubriəs/
IPA guide

Funerals are lugubrious. So are rainy days and Mondays. Anything that makes you sad, gloomy, or mournful can be called lugubrious.

Lugubrious comes from the Latin verb lūgēre, "to mourn." You can also listen to the sound of the word: lugubrious sounds slow, heavy, and sad. Sometimes, just the "feel" of a word is enough to clue you in to its meaning, and lugubrious is one of those words. I was feeling great when I got to the concert, but the lugubrious music left me in a terrible mood.

Definitions of lugubrious
  1. adjective
    excessively mournful
    synonyms:
    sorrowful
    experiencing or marked by or expressing sorrow especially that associated with irreparable loss
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘lugubrious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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Is "Lugubrious" Good or Bad? Use Context Clues to Find Out!

When New York Times television critic Alessandra Stanley used lugubrious to describe AMC's "Breaking Bad," she embedded a context clue that makes her sentence an SAT question writer's dream.

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