sad sack

noun

US, informal

: a blundering, inept person

… a sad sack so unlucky in love that when his girlfriend splits, his family sides with her.—

Rand Richards Cooper

sad-sack

ˈsad-ˌsak

adjective

Examples of sad sack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But Wright’s turn in particular, as the sad sack who has both a point and his own respectability hangups, lingers in the mind. —

Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 Anthony Minghella’s 1999 movie adaptation of the novel tried determinedly to humanize him, casting Matt Damon as an insecure sad sack who’s driven to a crime of desperate passion when he’s sent to Europe to bring home—and is promptly humiliated by—Jude Law’s wealthy, callous Dickie Greenleaf. —

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024 Things are looking up for pop’s favorite sad sack dirtbag! —

Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024 January’s Secret: January is often considered to be the sad sack of months. —

Kate Brody, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sad sack

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sad sack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.