sadder; saddest
1
a
: affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness : downcast
b(1)
: causing or associated with grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
(2)
: regrettable, deplorable
a sad relaxation of morals—
C. W. Cunnington
C. W. Cunnington
c
: of little worth
2
: of a dull somber color
sadness
noun
seasonal affective disorder
Synonyms
Adjective
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- downcast
- downhearted
- down in the mouth
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholic
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- unhappy
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
Examples of sad in a Sentence
Adjective
He's feeling sad because his pet died.
People were sad that he was leaving.
The experience left her sadder but wiser.
Have you heard the sad news about his wife's illness?
It'll be a sad day when you leave us.
a movie with a sad ending
He lived a sad life.
The sad fact of the matter is that they are right.
The new version is a sad imitation of the original movie.
We needed more money but, sad to say, there wasn't any.
Recent Examples on the Web
Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025
In a sad irony, her grieving family strives to live by Maggie’s words and channel her spirit.
—Faith Karimi, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
The dissolution of the Family is seen as a sad, painfully slow affair, as, like Brian Wilson before him, Stone drifted off into his own solipsistic world of experimentation.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025
The last thing most people would have wanted to do immediately after landing is beeline it to a place of misery and hear victims’ sad stories.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sad 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
January 26, 2025: Once again, the Bills lose their playoff game against the Chiefs, sparking a bunch of sad Josh Allen edits on TikTok.
—Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025
In a sad irony, her grieving family strives to live by Maggie’s words and channel her spirit.
—Faith Karimi, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
The dissolution of the Family is seen as a sad, painfully slow affair, as, like Brian Wilson before him, Stone drifted off into his own solipsistic world of experimentation.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025
The last thing most people would have wanted to do immediately after landing is beeline it to a place of misery and hear victims’ sad stories.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sad
Dictionary Entries Near sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sad
adjective
sadder; saddest
1
: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness
sad songs
2
: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
sadly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share