Lugubrious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /luːˈɡ(j)uː.bɹi.əs/

Definitions

1. Mournful, dismal, or excessively sad in appearance or manner
2. Showing a deep, exaggerated sadness or gloom, often in a way that seems gloomy or somber
3. Manifesting an overly sorrowful or melancholic attitude that appears gloomy and heavy-hearted

Etymology: Lugubrious sounds like a word built for funerals, and its Latin ancestor, "lūgubris", meant "mournful" or "gloomy" and was used for the outward signs of grief, such as the dark mourning clothes worn at a death. The English word is a direct borrowing of that Latin adjective, with the English suffix "-ious" attached to give it the ring of a formal descriptive term. The Latin root connects to "lūgēre", a verb meaning "to mourn" or "to lament", which is the same stem behind words for grief and wailing across the Latin vocabulary. English took the adjective whole rather than inheriting it through French, so the word kept its focus on sorrow and gloom rather than drifting toward a looser sense of sadness.

Synonyms: mournful, sorrowful, dismal, melancholy, gloomy

Antonyms: cheerful, joyful, happy, bright, elated