sorely

adverb

sore·​ly ˈsȯr-lē 

1

: in a sore manner : painfully

2

: very, extremely

sorely needed changes

Synonyms of sorely

• bitterly
• sadly
• sorrowfully
• painfully
• woefully
• grievously

Examples of sorely in a Sentence

You will be sorely missed.

She provided some sorely needed help.

The house is sorely in need of paint.

He is sorely lacking in social skills.

Recent Examples on the Web

And if there is one thing sorely missing from the contemporary, which is to say post-Funny Face, crop of films focused on the fashion industry, then that one thing is joy. — Charles Gandee, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026

Among the other additions that arrived as part of the 2025 refresh was a rear windshield wiper, which was sorely needed at launch. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2026

Barcenas’ production has been sorely needed on a squad that lost Dudinha to a knee injury during the June international break and has seen underperformance from Ludmila. — Karan Lodha, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Anyone expecting fireworks, or even a confrontation of any kind, may be sorely disappointed by how anticlimactic the moment proves. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sorely

adverb

sore·​ly ˈsō(ə)r-lē 

ˈsȯ(ə)r-

: in a sore manner