as in melancholy
a state or spell of low spirits
she was filled with sadness at the thought of having to leave her family
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of sadness
Get ready for tears – of sadness, of fear, and of laughter.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Feb. 2026
That's my sadness around that game.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
No one can speak more profoundly on the craziness and sadness that were the winter months — normally a time of calm, when key NASCAR players go into hibernation — than Cup star Denny Hamlin.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
There is a profound sadness in the way the ‘good people’ here settle on a version of truth that satisfies their own worldview.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Still, there was a sadness to Zamot’s aura in the last decade of her life following the unexpected 2015 death of her husband, John Loscalzo, at 52.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2026
His movies are a safe haven for those of us who get overwhelmed by the sadness and troubles of this world.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
This week, Costa reiterated his sadness at the way his three-year stay at Chelsea ended and his anger at Conte.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Comparisons to Fargo, which Raimi’s buddies the Coens had released two years earlier, are natural, but Fargo has a dry sense of humor while A Simple Plan is more content to linger in the quiet sadness of its tragedy.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Feb. 2026
That's my sadness around that game.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
No one can speak more profoundly on the craziness and sadness that were the winter months — normally a time of calm, when key NASCAR players go into hibernation — than Cup star Denny Hamlin.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
There is a profound sadness in the way the ‘good people’ here settle on a version of truth that satisfies their own worldview.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Still, there was a sadness to Zamot’s aura in the last decade of her life following the unexpected 2015 death of her husband, John Loscalzo, at 52.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2026
His movies are a safe haven for those of us who get overwhelmed by the sadness and troubles of this world.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
This week, Costa reiterated his sadness at the way his three-year stay at Chelsea ended and his anger at Conte.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Comparisons to Fargo, which Raimi’s buddies the Coens had released two years earlier, are natural, but Fargo has a dry sense of humor while A Simple Plan is more content to linger in the quiet sadness of its tragedy.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness
Noun
-
Fanning’s name was the first called when nominations were announced, signaling that Scandinavian melancholy would be notably absent that morning.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Make shallow depressions for your rhizomes and cover so new green growth sits just above the soil surface.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t sink into depression, this is temporary!—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Buckley navigates the film in elemental sorrow without sentimentality, delivering what many consider the performance of the year, and undoubtedly her career so far.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Now, their families are turning sorrow into service.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the r/MyBoyfriendisAI subreddit, many users posted about their grief.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
As her power-hungry characters go through the five stages of grief, denial is the hardest one to let go of.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
White’s dialogue is unsentimental but rife with anguish; Owen Teague and a seductive, destructive Abbey Lee give the pain its due.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
-
His murder was met with fury and anguish.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the gloom of February winter, these indulgences will make your day so much sweeter.—
Samantha Nelson,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
There are no answers, just doom, gloom, and radical acceptance.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The antidotes to young men’s unhappiness are natural opportunities for in-person connection.—
Anthony V. Mack,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Inevitably, Big Ant soon comes crashing back down to Earth and the swirl of anger and sorrow that await him there; inevitably, Lil Ant and Lozita are forced to face his unhappiness, and figure out how to react.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Embracing misery is one kind of defiance; demanding to be heard is another.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This year, more than usual, a group of Florida lawmakers are clinging to a Biblical-sounding principle — and doing their best to ensure that the wages of sin are, at the very least, misery.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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