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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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
• regretfully
• mournfully
• hard

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

Sure, there will likely be, sadly but understandably, no new Gaga album or tour in the immediate future—but that doesn’t mean her personal style is going anywhere. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026

While sadly, Romero’s original 130-minute cut of the film has been lost, parts of it have been recovered and restored, expanding the 89-minute original release to 104 minutes. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2026

Residential floor plans in 2026 are sadly lacking in laundry chutes, milk doors and dumbwaiters, but innovations in home efficiency continue to evolve. — Jenny Singer, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Obviously, sadly, there have been a couple of deaths on the way. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely