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. W. Cunnington
c
: of little worth
2
: of a dull somber color
sadness
noun
seasonal affective disorder
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
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Judge Reinhold’s Brad also adds consistent comic edge to the picture with his sad eyes and fast food attitude.
—Gina Friedlande, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
The Nikola Vučević trade at the 2021 deadline was the first in a series of win-now moves that turned a bad team into, ultimately, a sad and mediocre one.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
What’s sad is that the San Onofre nuclear plant was shut down.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
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Adjective
The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Judge Reinhold’s Brad also adds consistent comic edge to the picture with his sad eyes and fast food attitude.
—Gina Friedlande, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
The Nikola Vučević trade at the 2021 deadline was the first in a series of win-now moves that turned a bad team into, ultimately, a sad and mediocre one.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
What’s sad is that the San Onofre nuclear plant was shut down.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sad
adjective
sadder; saddest
1
: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness
sad songs
2
: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
sadly
adverb
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