sadly

adverb

sad·​ly ˈsad-lē 

1

: in a sad manner : in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness

They spoke sadly of their loss.

She shook her head sadly.

He walked away sadly.

2

: in a way that causes feelings of sadness, disappointment, or regret

a garden that has been sadly neglected for many years

What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.

—Sue Grafton

The Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.

—Robert Fox

3

: unfortunately

—used to say that something is sad, unfortunate, or regrettable

Sadly, you can upload a perfectly working website today and return a few months later to find that many of its external links have died off.

—Matthew MacDonald

Is there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.

—Tom Ewing

Synonyms

• agonizingly
• bitterly
• dolefully
• dolorously
• grievously
• hard
• hardly
• inconsolably
• lugubriously
• mournfully
• painfully
• plaintively
• regretfully
• resentfully
• ruefully
• sorely
• sorrowfully
• unhappily
• wailfully
• woefully
• wretchedly

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

For Songwriter, Cash’s son, producer and guitarist John Carter Cash wiped everything from those sessions (including, sadly, W.S. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2024

Just a few days ago, L.A. Times columnist George Skelton wrote about how baseball legend Willie Mays — who, sadly, died last week at age 93 — became a civil rights pioneer, helping end housing discrimination in California. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024

Throughout the season's ups and downs, connections are built and a winner was crowned, but sadly, none of the matches are still together today. —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 25 June 2024

That would take real governance, leadership and the Christian values these legislators sadly lack. —Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1