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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Recent Examples of sadness
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).
—
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Reaction to the news Monday that the Connecticut Sun WNBA team is officially being moved to Houston was of sadness and regret in Connecticut, especially amongst those who had tried to keep the professional women’s basketball team in the state over the last year.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
Ashleigh Stovall described the guilt of having a good day, the confusion of feeling fine, then feeling terrible about giving herself permission to experience anything but sadness.
—Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
His father sat off in a distant corner of frustration and sadness.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Emotional contributors to Sam’s chronic pain, for example, included the depression and sadness that made his body hurt more, and the untreated stress and anxiety that kept his nervous system in overdrive.
—Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Curiously, there is less bitterness among farmworkers and advocates than there is sadness.
—Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Cincinnati Reverend Pete Mingo previously said he is filled with sadness and disbelief over the shooting as this is not the first time a juvenile has been a victim of gun violence in the city.
—Alexis Martin, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Mar. 2026
Still, along with the sadness, there’s ample speculation in the art world and on social media that the artist himself orchestrated this round of naming.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Reaction to the news Monday that the Connecticut Sun WNBA team is officially being moved to Houston was of sadness and regret in Connecticut, especially amongst those who had tried to keep the professional women’s basketball team in the state over the last year.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026
Ashleigh Stovall described the guilt of having a good day, the confusion of feeling fine, then feeling terrible about giving herself permission to experience anything but sadness.
—Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
His father sat off in a distant corner of frustration and sadness.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Emotional contributors to Sam’s chronic pain, for example, included the depression and sadness that made his body hurt more, and the untreated stress and anxiety that kept his nervous system in overdrive.
—Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
Curiously, there is less bitterness among farmworkers and advocates than there is sadness.
—Marcos Breton, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Cincinnati Reverend Pete Mingo previously said he is filled with sadness and disbelief over the shooting as this is not the first time a juvenile has been a victim of gun violence in the city.
—Alexis Martin, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Mar. 2026
Still, along with the sadness, there’s ample speculation in the art world and on social media that the artist himself orchestrated this round of naming.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness
Noun
-
The film’s empathetic interest in individual, often eccentric human lives gives it a warmth that overrides the underlying melancholy of the material, making for a pleasingly unsentimental crowdpleaser.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Some acknowledged the possibility that melancholy could be inherited.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This sharp satire of the entertainment industry tackles serious issues like addiction and depression while never skimping on the jokes.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In 2024, Ryyan was diagnosed with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.—
Kennedy Cook,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Of those witnesses, only one testified to seeing Tex show any signs of sorrow.—
Lauren A. White,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Redemptive suffering Shared sorrow is a key part of Iran’s Twelver Shiite identity, which venerates the Prophet Muhammad’s family through daughter Fatima and cousin and son-in-law, Ali.—
Mary Thurlkill,
The Conversation,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Both reflect a deep passion for a particular place—Johnson’s Middle Tennessee, Hiaasen’s South Florida—and a mixture of exasperation and grief at the destruction of the natural world to make room for megamansions and toxic waste dumps.—
Francine Prose,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Lawrence explained that the series was originally designed around a three-season arc focusing on grief, forgiveness and moving forward.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Large statues of the Virgin Mary show her in various states of mourning, even in anguish.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Without a diagnosis, people are unsure about how a condition might progress over time, and this can be a great source of anguish for both patients and their families.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amid the doom and gloom of news coverage, audiences are hungry for wholesome feel-good content like animal videos.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
According to Cramer, the street chose to focus on the doom and gloom of rising oil prices, disregarding Wednesday's pullback.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Language remains a sensitive issue in mostly French-speaking Quebec, the country's second-most-populous province, where unhappiness over the dominance of English helped the rise of the separatist Parti Quebecois in the 1970s.—
Allison Lampert,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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The science is far from settled, and some studies suggest that tech doesn’t cause users’ unhappiness.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In that case, misery turned into something less miserable (at least until the start of the playoffs).—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
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Two decades of misery In truth, Italy started the game on top, scoring in the 15th minute through Fiorentina forward Moise Kean to set up what should have been a smooth, routine win.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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