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 WebSamantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024
The French might be sad if Emily leaves for Italy, but Americans in Paris are unlikely to shed any tears; many of them have had enough of the Chicago native’s absent-minded cultural blunders.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2024
Donald Trump is a mad-as-hell choice, and Kamala Harris is the candidate for the lonely and the sad.
—Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
Children become sad, anxious, or angry, unable to understand why the parent left and feeling shame about the absence.
—Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sad 
Adjective
Because three seasons playing melancholic, sad, depressed, and lost is not fun anymore.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024
The French might be sad if Emily leaves for Italy, but Americans in Paris are unlikely to shed any tears; many of them have had enough of the Chicago native’s absent-minded cultural blunders.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2024
Donald Trump is a mad-as-hell choice, and Kamala Harris is the candidate for the lonely and the sad.
—Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
Children become sad, anxious, or angry, unable to understand why the parent left and feeling shame about the absence.
—Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sad
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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
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