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
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
Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 11 Nov. 2025
This one’s less wide-eyed and heartbroken and surprised and sad.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2025
After the game, which the Guardians won, Clase sent text messages to one of the bettors with images of a man hanging himself with toilet paper and a sad puppy dog face, the indictment said.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
Eighties scream queen Michelle Bauer does her best in a mostly thankless, mostly nude role, but the whole thing is just kind of sad.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 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
To me, there’s nothing more upsetting than excitedly going in the fridge to pull out ingredients for a crisp salad or plate up delicious fruit only to find everything has wilted, gotten mushy, and just plain ol’ sad.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 11 Nov. 2025
This one’s less wide-eyed and heartbroken and surprised and sad.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2025
After the game, which the Guardians won, Clase sent text messages to one of the bettors with images of a man hanging himself with toilet paper and a sad puppy dog face, the indictment said.
—NPR, 9 Nov. 2025
Eighties scream queen Michelle Bauer does her best in a mostly thankless, mostly nude role, but the whole thing is just kind of sad.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 16 Nov. 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