Meaning
painful; sore
- sore, painful
- sorrowful, doleful
In a sentence
Ho ancora il ginocchio dolente dopo la corsa.
My knee is still sore after the run.
Perché hai quello sguardo così dolente oggi?
Why do you have such a sorrowful look today?
Non toccare il braccio dolente, per favore.
Don't touch the sore arm, please.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| dolente | masculine · singular |
| dolente | feminine · singular |
| dolenti | masculine · plural |
| dolenti | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Mostly literary or formal. In everyday speech, Italians usually prefer dolorante for physical pain and addolorato or triste for emotional sorrow.
- Common in fixed expressions like tasto dolente. Used predicatively or after the noun in elevated style; before the noun sounds especially literary.
- Agree it normally: dolente, dolente, dolenti, dolenti. Do not confuse it with dolce or doloso, which mean different things.