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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—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
Sue GraftonThe Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.—Robert Fox
Robert Fox3
: 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
Matthew MacDonaldIs there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.—Tom Ewing
Tom EwingExamples of sadly in a Sentence
sadly she told us how her dog died
Recent Examples on the Web
Founder Joseph Fischer acknowledges that sadly, talent alone isn’t enough in sports recruitment.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
New York City could choose to double down on these punitive policies of the past that undermine public safety, and, sadly, this agenda has gained steam.
—Stanley Richards, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
The Club Floor concept is very popular in Asia, but these are sadly rare in the United States, and much rarer outside a handful of 5-Star hotels.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
In 2021, Larkin Poe headlined the now sadly defunct AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival, where Rebecca’s gutsy, no-nonsense singing and guitar work, and Megan’s incisive lap-pedal-steel and dobro playing won them new fans here.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
New York City could choose to double down on these punitive policies of the past that undermine public safety, and, sadly, this agenda has gained steam.
—Stanley Richards, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
The Club Floor concept is very popular in Asia, but these are sadly rare in the United States, and much rarer outside a handful of 5-Star hotels.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
In 2021, Larkin Poe headlined the now sadly defunct AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival, where Rebecca’s gutsy, no-nonsense singing and guitar work, and Megan’s incisive lap-pedal-steel and dobro playing won them new fans here.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Cite this Entry
“Sadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadly. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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