sad

1 of 2

adjective

ˈsad 

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

: of little worth

2

: of a dull somber color

sadness noun

SAD

2 of 2

abbreviation

seasonal affective disorder

Synonyms of sad

Adjective

• unhappy
• heartbroken
• depressed
• miserable
• sorry
• bad
• melancholy
• upset
• worried
• sorrowful

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

Adjective

Some people have protested about these layoffs and budget cuts, but the children are especially sad. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman quickly produced a cartoon showing Roosevelt refusing to shoot a tiny bear cub with big sad eyes and a rope around its neck. — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026

These sad conventions; these American ways of being, pacing to the end of a block and back like hamsters. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

Don’t be sad that the season is coming to an end—there are plenty more pool days, road trips, and ice cream runs still to come. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English sæd sated; akin to Old High German sat sated, Latin satis enough

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sad

• poor/sad/sorry excuse for
• sad sack

Rhymes for sad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Kids Definition

sad

adjective

ˈsad 

sadder; saddest

1

: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness

sad songs

2

: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing

sad news

sadly adverb

Medical Definition

SAD

abbreviation

seasonal affective disorder