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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—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
The leadership toxicity is sadly nothing new, though there’s one point in here about Bungie allegedly buying pricey penthouses for some higher tiers of management.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
His gay life, sadly, is mostly a source of early misery and bitter feeling—a reminder of how recently, and how blessedly, homosexuality has been normalized.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
And for students of color, these statistics are sadly graver, with federal data suggesting that high schools that predominantly educate Black and Hispanic children offer advanced curricula, like calculus and physics, at lower rates than predominantly white institutions.
—Essence, 8 May 2025
Previously in a loving home, Amber was sadly returned through no fault of her own due to a family member’s allergies.
—Trish Stinger, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
His gay life, sadly, is mostly a source of early misery and bitter feeling—a reminder of how recently, and how blessedly, homosexuality has been normalized.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
And for students of color, these statistics are sadly graver, with federal data suggesting that high schools that predominantly educate Black and Hispanic children offer advanced curricula, like calculus and physics, at lower rates than predominantly white institutions.
—Essence, 8 May 2025
Previously in a loving home, Amber was sadly returned through no fault of her own due to a family member’s allergies.
—Trish Stinger, Kansas City Star, 7 May 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 25 May. 2025.
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