SADNESS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

sadness

noun

Definition of sadness

as in melancholy

a state or spell of low spirits she was filled with sadness at the thought of having to leave her family

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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 sadness There was a moment this week when tears of sadness gave way to elation for one California couple. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school. — Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 Just as running from my problems was, clearing my mind over the course of many miles, or racing hard, until the adrenaline cleansed me of feeling pain, sadness, disappointment, or rage. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing. — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 There is another side of it — a sadness and a numbness being felt by sections of the fanbase. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2026 And that is what produces, for me, the anger and the rage and the sadness. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 Boys may exhibit more anger and aggression, whereas girls might demonstrate sadness, depression and self-harm. — Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 According to 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of youth have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — about 10% more than a decade earlier. — Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness

Noun

The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Noun

The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment.

— Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu said on her personal Facebook page that the incident left her filled with sorrow.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Like many songwriters who’ve ever poured their romantic sorrows out in their music, the challenge in this new era was getting acquainted with writing from a place of happiness instead, which can be a source of anxiety itself.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Noun

The local journalists who cover the Bend community every day were not immune from the grief and sadness after today’s deadly shooting of children at an elementary school.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of grief

Noun

Set to a downtempo bachata, the track features Lorén’s penetrating vocals filled with anguish at the impossible cycle of working endlessly to make ends meet.

— Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Abrams does yeoman’s work with a character stuck in a tight spot for most of the running time, constantly grunting and gasping with a mixture of anguish and exhaustion as his body gets progressively more beat up and broken.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of anguish

Noun

But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
And while there’d been some unhappiness between her and the Borden girls a few years before the murders — a disagreement over a property the family owned — there wasn’t the kind of outright resentment portrayed in the show.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of unhappiness

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sadly

sadness

safari

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“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sadness

noun

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