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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

But sadly, Jews in America need to have that now. —Da Lin, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025

Read on for some of the shows that, sadly, won't be returning to the air next year. —James Factora, Them., 15 Dec. 2025

The movie reunites Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean as the members of the (sadly) fictional metal band Spinal Tap, reuniting after 41 years of dormancy; Reiner appears, once again, as the (also sadly) fictional documentary filmmaker Martin di Bergi. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 Dec. 2025

Someone very dear to me, as close as a family member, sadly passed away from a common form of cancer seen in this region. —New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely