1
: in a sad manner : in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness
They spoke sadly of their loss.
She shook her head sadly.
He walked away sadly.
2
: in a way that causes feelings of sadness, disappointment, or regret
a garden that has been sadly neglected for many years
What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—
Sue Grafton
Sue GraftonThe Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.—Robert Fox
Robert Fox3
: unfortunately
—used to say that something is sad, unfortunate, or regrettable
Sadly, you can upload a perfectly working website today and return a few months later to find that many of its external links have died off.—Matthew MacDonald
Matthew MacDonaldIs there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.—Tom Ewing
Tom EwingExamples of sadly in a Sentence
sadly she told us how her dog died
Recent Examples on the Web
But since my coverage scope is changing quite a bit, sadly that means this is my last week as a regular contributor to the Healthy Returns newsletter.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
He eventually was contacted by a Korean company to audition for them, but sadly, didn’t make it.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
This is, sadly, a lost art; now everything is an elaborate ballet of calling, texting, and planning, with little room for spontaneity.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 12 Sep. 2025
But, sadly, because bathrooms are such high-moisture rooms with a lack of ventilation, mold is easy to grow.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
He eventually was contacted by a Korean company to audition for them, but sadly, didn’t make it.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
This is, sadly, a lost art; now everything is an elaborate ballet of calling, texting, and planning, with little room for spontaneity.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 12 Sep. 2025
But, sadly, because bathrooms are such high-moisture rooms with a lack of ventilation, mold is easy to grow.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Cite this Entry
“Sadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadly. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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