Meanings
comparative more dolent · superlative most dolent
- archaicSad, sorrowful.
‘Did you find them all, Uncle Van?’ she inquired, sighing, laying her dolent head on his shoulder.
1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 1481 more example
Poor wretch! who once hath paced that dolent city Shall pace it often, doomed beyond all pity, With horror ever deepening from the first.
1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night
Origin
- Latindolēns
- Old Frenchdolent
- Middle Englishdolent
- Englishdolent
From Middle English dolent, from Old French dolent, from Latin dolēns, present participle of doleō (“to grieve”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
dolent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dolent
“dolent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dolent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dolent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dolent.
Source: dolent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.