sadder; saddest
1
a
: affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness : downcast
b(1)
: causing or associated with grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
(2)
: regrettable, deplorable
a sad relaxation of morals—
C. W. Cunnington
C. W. Cunnington
c
: of little worth
2
: of a dull somber color
sadness
noun
seasonal affective disorder
Synonyms
Adjective
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- downcast
- downhearted
- down in the mouth
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- unhappy
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
Examples of sad in a Sentence
Adjective
He's feeling sad because his pet died.
People were sad that he was leaving.
The experience left her sadder but wiser.
Have you heard the sad news about his wife's illness?
It'll be a sad day when you leave us.
a movie with a sad ending
He lived a sad life.
The sad fact of the matter is that they are right.
The new version is a sad imitation of the original movie.
We needed more money but, sad to say, there wasn't any.
Recent Examples on the Web
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
That history stems from many things, but our sad legacy is behind us.
—Chris Brewster, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
The sad truth is many of us saw this last year and knew nothing was going to change.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
Possibly chatting with his new security detail., which reportedly is a sad reality.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sad 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Myriad other parties this week included soirees hosted by GQ, which may or may not still publish a magazine, and Sports Illustrated, which cut its once-stellar staff to the bone and became a sad shell of its former self but evidently can still afford to throw a Super Bowl party.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
That history stems from many things, but our sad legacy is behind us.
—Chris Brewster, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
The sad truth is many of us saw this last year and knew nothing was going to change.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
Possibly chatting with his new security detail., which reportedly is a sad reality.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sad
Dictionary Entries Near sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sad
adjective
sadder; saddest
1
: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness
sad songs
2
: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
sadly
adverb
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