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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

His abhorrent behavior is sadly too common across the restaurant industry, from the finest dining to the humblest street stalls. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Given that, sadly, Luther left us long ago, his visibility will come and go. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026

The themes of a woman overcoming adversity and the unwanted attention from men of privilege and power sadly resonate now just as much as when the novel was published in 1979 and when the drama was shown on Channel 4 in January 1985. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026

Meanwhile, the entirety of DadTok is [sadly] present, including Taylor’s ex, Dakota Mortensen. —Fleurine Tideman, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely