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
The prospect filled me with surprising sadness.
—
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
The bittersweet tale infused with humor and sadness chimed with the Cannes audience.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 May 2026
In the last few pages of the play, there’s something so powerful in the way Linda asks Willy to come to bed — the knowing and the tiredness and the strength and sadness in it.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 15 May 2026
There is a particular kind of emotional exhaustion that does not always look like sadness.
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 15 May 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.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
On the other, the sadness of knowing that an amazing chapter of my life was ending, and the fear of not knowing what would come next.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
There is some sadness in considering the fact that my country and my people have always failed in its attempts to express their will for change.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 12 May 2026
From the deepest sadness, love and hope can be born through art, through music, and through the unity of the people.
—Danny Hajjar, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
The bittersweet tale infused with humor and sadness chimed with the Cannes audience.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 May 2026
In the last few pages of the play, there’s something so powerful in the way Linda asks Willy to come to bed — the knowing and the tiredness and the strength and sadness in it.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 15 May 2026
There is a particular kind of emotional exhaustion that does not always look like sadness.
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 15 May 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.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
On the other, the sadness of knowing that an amazing chapter of my life was ending, and the fear of not knowing what would come next.
—Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
There is some sadness in considering the fact that my country and my people have always failed in its attempts to express their will for change.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 12 May 2026
From the deepest sadness, love and hope can be born through art, through music, and through the unity of the people.
—Danny Hajjar, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness
Noun
-
While the actors are committed, poignant and warm, their upbeat tone doesn’t always blend well with the melancholy of the picture.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
These flashes of melancholy or yearning give the record complexity and depth, as well as stopping it from devolving into wackiness.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Data from one primary care clinic in Los Angeles, shared exclusively with NPR, shows a sharp rise in anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among patients.—
Rhitu Chatterjee,
NPR,
17 May 2026
-
Chronic circadian misalignment is associated with a 30-40% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, depression and anxiety.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Yet this book is written more in sorrow than in anger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
Late in the picture, a display of kindness from the elderly Catalan woman Lucila looks after introduces an unexpected reciprocity of care — even with those unfamiliar with her sorrows and the intricacies of her cultural background.—
Carlos Aguilar,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, with campus culture wars and climate grief at its center.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
There have been so many films about grief and people losing somebody.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Annah’s resulting anguish is so uncomfortable for the others, that Ibrahim and Jacques practically come to blows.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Even as Gen Z faces a labor market mired in uncertainty, receiving mixed signals about how AI will reshape the future of work, Upwork President and CEO Hayden Brown is not doom-and-gloom.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
-
Kieran Trippier has been one of those players for Newcastle United; a ripple-maker, a gloom-buster and a standard-bearer.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
But to attribute female unhappiness to feminism seems wildly ahistorical.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
Even so, prices are rising much more quickly than normal at a time when economic unhappiness has become a fixture of the political landscape.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
There are fun bad teams, or teams that at least make a unique bonding experience out of their specific type of misery.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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