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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

• agonizingly
• bitterly
• dolefully
• dolorously
• grievously
• hard
• hardly
• inconsolably
• lugubriously
• mournfully
• painfully
• plaintively
• regretfully
• resentfully
• ruefully
• sorely
• sorrowfully
• unhappily
• wailfully
• woefully
• wretchedly

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

The supporting cast included Damian Young as Valerie’s husband Mark, Malin Akerman as young starlet Juna, Laura Silverman as reality show producer Jane, Lance Barber as boorish TV writer Paulie G and Robert Michael Morris — who sadly passed away in 2017 — as Valerie’s hairdresser pal Mickey. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 19 July 2024

The taboo around periods and menstruation is still, sadly, a thing. —Julia Sullivan, SELF, 18 July 2024

Threats of violence, sadly, are a part of American politics today. —Dan Balz, Washington Post, 14 July 2024

The All American spinoff returned for its third — and, sadly, final — season on Monday night, leaping forward in time by one year and three months, just as the mothership series did. —Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 8 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1