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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—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
Clearly a flair player, though sadly quite clumsy on land.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 16 June 2026
And to bring this material, a lot of it which is sadly still resonant and relevant, but to bring it to new audiences.
—Carita Rizzo, Deadline, 15 June 2026
But sadly, this effort is being affected in a negative manner by neighboring counties.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 June 2026
An Indianapolis woman reported missing earlier this year along with her seven children has sadly been found dead in Mexico, though her kids are safe, her family told IndyStar.
—Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 16 June 2026
And to bring this material, a lot of it which is sadly still resonant and relevant, but to bring it to new audiences.
—Carita Rizzo, Deadline, 15 June 2026
But sadly, this effort is being affected in a negative manner by neighboring counties.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 June 2026
An Indianapolis woman reported missing earlier this year along with her seven children has sadly been found dead in Mexico, though her kids are safe, her family told IndyStar.
—Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Cite this Entry
“Sadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadly. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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