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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—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
Chavez’s dark side began to show The persuasive evidence of Chavez’s wrongdoing landed as both a shock and as sadly in keeping with what has been revealed in recent years about how powerful men abused their positions of authority to assault and rape women and girls.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
As the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs begin the process of winding down, Manfred’s push to collectivize the local rights for each MLB franchise is kicking in at a sadly fortuitous moment.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Robert Michael Morris, who played Valerie’s beloved hairdresser, Mickey, sadly passed away in 2017.
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
In 1977, Finch won for his portrayal of unhinged TV news anchor Howard Beale in the darkly satirical (and sadly prescient) Network.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
As the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs begin the process of winding down, Manfred’s push to collectivize the local rights for each MLB franchise is kicking in at a sadly fortuitous moment.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Robert Michael Morris, who played Valerie’s beloved hairdresser, Mickey, sadly passed away in 2017.
—Jada Yuan, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
In 1977, Finch won for his portrayal of unhinged TV news anchor Howard Beale in the darkly satirical (and sadly prescient) Network.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 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 21 Mar. 2026.
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