saddening 1 of 2

adjective

as in sad
causing unhappiness the saddening discovery that something is threatening the birds in the area

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

saddening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sadden
as in depressing
to make sad the arrival of winter always saddens me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of saddening
Adjective
The result is a bonus both surprising and saddening. — Bob Brody, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026 The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026 Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another. — Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026 Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another. — Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 4 Feb. 2026 Gates has assembled a stimulating, illuminating, maddening, saddening, but often inspiring, story of their relations with the world and one another. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026 The iconic Hollywood Studios archway has been demolished at Walt Disney World, saddening fans. — Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025 That would be a saddening surrender to might makes right. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025 One of the more saddening aspects of Animol (a misspelled word seen carved into a cell wall in solitary) is the change in Troy’s gaze — from alert and observant to constantly on edge, his eyes almost involuntarily darting in every direction at once to spot a threat. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
The news was saddening for Jewell — but also alarming for the defense. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saddening
  1. sad
  2. depressing
  3. pathetic
  4. troubling
  5. unfortunate
  6. worrying
Adjective
  • Bao and Dani also get some votes, but Yangyang and Octavius get none, which is sad.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • But that selflessness comes to feel like the point of this lingering, resonantly sad film — above all else, an elegy for lives unseen and unknown.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of sad
Verb
  • Also helping is Kevin Warsh, the new Federal Reserve head, who is working to get our central bank focused on currency stability as the way to fight inflation, rather than depressing economic activity.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The high-pressure system that’s causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particulate matter, pushing it closer to the ground.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Never in my lifetime has pathetic nostalgia for the white man’s republic been closer to the center of power.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Instagram Plus is social media’s newest low—a company preying on our most pathetic impulses, for the price of a small iced coffee.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of pathetic
Verb
  • In the final, Simon had little to do as Argentina registered only two shots in 120 minutes of action, with neither troubling the Athletic Club goalkeeper.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Campbell said Moore wanted to discuss what was troubling her privately but never got the chance.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of troubling
Adjective
  • No, this unfortunate moniker represents the lack of attention to and awareness of the disease.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Typically, when rookies put up gaudy numbers in Las Vegas, their stats are accompanied by unfortunate shooting percentages or a bevy of turnovers, but that wasn’t the case for Burries.
    — Eric Nehm, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Verb
  • Jensen Huang is urging Washington to stop worrying about China’s open-source AI just as an all-out panic has broken out over the highly capable, low-cost models that can increasingly compete with the most advanced products by OpenAI and Anthropic.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 22 July 2026
  • The ceiling gets reviewed regularly and removed once the Bank stops worrying about what a fast-growing coin would do to bank credit.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of worrying

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Cite this Entry

“Saddening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saddening. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of saddening for Spanish Speakers

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