sad

1 of 3

adjective

ˈsad 

sadder; saddest

1

a

: affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness : downcast

b(1)

: causing or associated with grief or unhappiness : depressing

sad news

(2)

: regrettable, deplorable

… a sad relaxation of morals.

—C. W. Cunnington

c

: of little worth

2

: of a dull somber color

sadness noun

SAD

2 of 3

abbreviation

seasonal affective disorder

sadness

3 of 3

noun

sad·​ness

plural -es

1

: the quality or state of being sad : sorrowfulness, unhappiness, gloominess

2

: an instance (as a mood or an appearance) of being sad : something sorrowful, gloomy, or depressing

she talked about death as she spoke … of any of the sadnesses of nature

—Willa Cather

Synonyms of sad

Adjective

• unhappy
• heartbroken
• depressed
• miserable
• sorry
• bad
• melancholy
• upset
• worried
• sorrowful

Choose the Right Synonym for sad

depression, melancholy, melancholia, dejection, gloom, blues, dumps: sadness is a general term usually without implications about cause or intensity of unhappy feeling

conscious of a profound sadness which was not grief

—Arnold Bennett

a certain sense of desolation and sadness

—A. C. Benson

depression may indicate a brooding, listless, sullen, or despondent condition in which one usually feels let down, disheartened, enervated, or inadequate

never before, in any mood of depression, had she given evidence of suicidal thoughts

—Havelock Ellis

many youngsters are conscious of a vast depression when entering the portals of a university; they feel themselves inadequate to cope with the wisdom of the ages garnered in the solid walls

—G. D. Brown

melancholy now is likely to indicate a mood or mental condition marked by sad and serious pensiveness

the wit, the gaiety of spirit tinged with a tender melancholy

—W. H. Hudson †1922

melancholia may indicate a settled deep depression verging on insanity

the excited phase is called mania and its counterpart is known as melancholia. In the former there is a slaphappy hilarity and a disregard of the conventional restraints, while the latter phase is marked by mournful and self-accusatory ideas and a countenance disfigured by despair

—R. S. Ellery

dejection is close to depression but may apply to a more temporary mood and suggest a natural cause or logical reason

it was the last of the regiment's stay in Meryton, and all the young ladies in the neighborhood were drooping apace. The dejection was almost universal

—Jane Austen

these notable victories of the mind, from which so much was hoped, have had for result not so much increased happiness as disquiet, have made for dejection rather than rejoicing

—W. M. Dixon

gloom may suggest the dark and dispiriting overall atmosphere or effect of depression or dejection

the leaden gloom of one who has lost all that can make life interesting, or even tolerable

—Thomas Hardy

the gloom that now lay over it in a dead and menacing quietude and stagnation

—Walter de la Mare

blues simply indicates low spirits

suffering from a sharp attack of the blues. A feeling of depression and foreboding had taken possession of him. The present seemed empty and futile, the future dark with intangible calamity

—F. W. Crofts

dumps now usually used only in the phrase in the dumps, may indicate a deeper, more sullen and cheerless state than that indicated by blues

in the dumps about his stock market losses

Examples of sad in a Sentence

Adjective

He's feeling sad because his pet died.

People were sad that he was leaving.

The experience left her sadder but wiser.

Have you heard the sad news about his wife's illness?

It'll be a sad day when you leave us.

a movie with a sad ending

He lived a sad life.

The sad fact of the matter is that they are right.

The new version is a sad imitation of the original movie.

We needed more money but, sad to say, there wasn't any.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The couple’s daughter, Kyle Avery, confirmed the sad news with a post on Facebook. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026

There were lots of other questions — about whether SunRail should be expanded, what role the county should play in supporting arts and culture and if the candidates have any plans for improving this region’s sad-sack mental health options. — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026

Este is sad — Este is depressed-y. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

How sad or scary is ‘Toy Story 5’? — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English sæd sated; akin to Old High German sat sated, Latin satis enough

Noun

Middle English sadnesse seriousness, firmness, from sad entry 1 + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sad

• poor/sad/sorry excuse for
• sad sack

Rhymes for sad

• ad
• add
• bad
• brad
• cad
• clad
• dad
• fad
• gad
• glad
• grad
• had

Kids Definition

sad

adjective

ˈsad 

sadder; saddest

1

: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness

sad songs

2

: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing

sad news

sadly adverb

Medical Definition

SAD

abbreviation

seasonal affective disorder