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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

• bitterly
• sorrowfully
• painfully
• mournfully
• regretfully
• hard

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

When Manny Fernandez passed away quietly at age 79 this week at his home in a small Georgia town called Ellaville, a subtle-yet-seismic shift occurred — mostly symbolic, but still sadly notable. —Miami Herald, 27 May 2026

Remarkably, sadly, the world is silent. —Michael Arkush, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026

One of the sport’s last colorful characters, Kyle Busch, sadly passed away last week. —Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

Said assignment involves Jack going to Dubai, accompanied by fellow agent Mike November (Michael Kelly, another series veteran), and picking up a vitally important package from a former M16 operative (Douglas Hodge, sadly not around for too long). —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely