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
Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
If a Southern summer leaves your vegetable garden wilted and sad, don’t give up.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
And then like tons and tons of kids were disappointed and sad and frustrated.
—Karen Brown, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
If anything, this pairing makes quite a compelling storyline, one that feels straight out of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Is my daughter getting the message that divorce makes for annoyingly needy kids and sad parents?
—Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
If a Southern summer leaves your vegetable garden wilted and sad, don’t give up.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
And then like tons and tons of kids were disappointed and sad and frustrated.
—Karen Brown, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
If anything, this pairing makes quite a compelling storyline, one that feels straight out of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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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