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 WebAnnie Berke, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
That statement would take on a kind of sad resonance in the years to come when a battle between neighbors — if police are to be believed — allegedly turned deadly.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024
For the smell of popcorn to be so totally absent seems sad and wrong.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, after living for years with cancer, and in the wake of the sad news, fans were reminded of her role on the mystery series.
—Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 14 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for sad 
Adjective
While the archetypal Gen X novel may belong to American Psychos Who Don’t Talk About Fight Club — angry men, basically — the millennial novel is all about the sad, bitter ladies.
—Annie Berke, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
That statement would take on a kind of sad resonance in the years to come when a battle between neighbors — if police are to be believed — allegedly turned deadly.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024
For the smell of popcorn to be so totally absent seems sad and wrong.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Doherty died on Saturday, July 13, after living for years with cancer, and in the wake of the sad news, fans were reminded of her role on the mystery series.
—Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 14 July 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 26 Jul. 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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