1
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
movies in which the hero dies always make us feel sad
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in depressing
causing unhappiness
the sad news about our uncle's death made my father cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
no one expected the supermodel to be a great actress, but her acting is sad beyond belief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sad
Juicy and Mia end up in the top, which is sad for Nini but entirely her fault.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
The Record of the Year nominees are nearly identical to the nominees for Song of the Year — just swap out a handful of demon hunters for a very sad commuter.
—Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Don't come to the Feast at Lele expecting plastic leis, screaming children, and a sad buffet line; rather, this is a quintessential Maui luau without the cheesiness.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
The games were supposed to be moved to Carlin’s Park and Iceland, but that arrangement met a sad day.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
The Record of the Year nominees are nearly identical to the nominees for Song of the Year — just swap out a handful of demon hunters for a very sad commuter.
—Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Don't come to the Feast at Lele expecting plastic leis, screaming children, and a sad buffet line; rather, this is a quintessential Maui luau without the cheesiness.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
The games were supposed to be moved to Carlin’s Park and Iceland, but that arrangement met a sad day.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sad
Adjective
-
For Adams’ Laura, its restorative properties are compromised by ever-present memories of her unhappy childhood, many of them directly associated with the family’s gorgeous summer house.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Competitive equity playoffs There’s still coaches unhappy with the Southern Section competitive equity playoff system using computer algorithms to place teams in divisions.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Firstly, the jail is depressing and the people who work there are not always nice, particularly to reporters.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Despite this, black-market Stingers have had a depressing tendency to surface in conflicts around the world.—
David Szondy
February 08,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This kind of Jim Crow–style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Martin, meanwhile, left heartbroken.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Though heartbroken, Punsalan and Swallow decided to compete at Lillehammer anyway.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On his computer monitor was a photograph of a 2-year-old boy, Alan Kurdi, lying dead in shallow seawater on a beach in Turkey—a heartbreaking photo that went viral in the summer of 2015.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
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The portrait of the Prince and the trafficking victim—his hand on her waist; her heartbreaking smile—with Maxwell, the human factor, standing by, will always be the defining image of the Royal Family’s involvement in the Epstein case.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Writer-director Craig Brewer resists the temptation to make Mike and Claire in any way pitiful or worthy of derision.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And very plain and simple, just depressed.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And that’s how the forward ended up under a too-bright light at the end of this season, burdened with the unfortunate responsibility of being one of the few players the front office felt was worth investing in long term.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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After Ellis’ unfortunate and sudden passing in 1986, Marc Jacobs was named creative director of the brand in 1988.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sad. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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