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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

Recent Examples on the Web

There was minimal damage to an Israeli air base, which remained functional, and sadly a seven-year-old girl from a Bedouin village suffered a serious head wound. —The Editors, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024

Although Winehouse’s career was sadly cut short through alcohol poisoning at the age of just 27 in 2011, her stage presence and style became almost as instantly recognizable as her voice. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Without question, there are Americans who are hurting financially — sadly, this is always true to some extent, especially given the weakness of America’s social safety net. —Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

If this was the case, the actor was, sadly, unsuccessful. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 11 Apr. 2024

The floor is probably another 100-loss season, sadly. —Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024

Besides shining a light on some wonderful yet sadly overlooked artists, the exhibit delivers a colorful look at the evolution of musical and artistic tastes through the decades. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024

And one of the biggest ones that carried over was something innately in the project that, sadly, is still a topic of discussion today. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024

On Thursday, the Tennessee establishment confirmed giraffe Angela Kate had sadly died after falling and injuring herself while in the exhibit area overnight on March 5. —Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1