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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Recent Examples of sadness
Followers and fans of Tika online expressed their sadness in the comment section.
—
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
And in the last days of August, laughter and pot would waft over the scene, happiness laced with sadness.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
For mood changes, especially feelings of sadness or loss of interest in usual activities, your health care provider can screen for seasonal affective disorder or other causes.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
And those are some tentpole moments that will always have a tinge of sadness no matter what.
—Sarah Sotoodeh, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
They were replaced, at least for now, with sadness.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Current Mayor Pro Tem and District 2 council member Carlos Flores, who served with Bivens from June 2017 to her retirement in May 2025, expressed sadness at her diagnosis.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Frozen with sadness, Winnie didn't understand that the field trip was only for a day.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Common signs include persistent sadness, low energy, poor concentration, loss of interest in activities, changes in appetite or weight, and feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
—Brandon Peters, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2025
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
And in the last days of August, laughter and pot would waft over the scene, happiness laced with sadness.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
For mood changes, especially feelings of sadness or loss of interest in usual activities, your health care provider can screen for seasonal affective disorder or other causes.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
And those are some tentpole moments that will always have a tinge of sadness no matter what.
—Sarah Sotoodeh, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
They were replaced, at least for now, with sadness.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Current Mayor Pro Tem and District 2 council member Carlos Flores, who served with Bivens from June 2017 to her retirement in May 2025, expressed sadness at her diagnosis.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Frozen with sadness, Winnie didn't understand that the field trip was only for a day.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Common signs include persistent sadness, low energy, poor concentration, loss of interest in activities, changes in appetite or weight, and feelings of guilt or worthlessness.
—Brandon Peters, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness
Noun
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Coppola and production designer Ziering will explore their creative partnership, the aesthetic and emotional storytelling that defines Coppola’s visual universe — from the suburban melancholy of Palo Alto to the luminous complexity of The Last Showgirl.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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Full of dread and melancholy, the Austrian import flips the creepy-kid script a bit by centering on two boys (Elias and Lukas Schwarz) who wonder whether their mom (Susanne Wuest), whose head is wrapped in bandages after facial surgery, is actually their mom. 38.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In adults, physical activity helps to prevent and manage health problems like cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety—while also enhancing brain health and overall wellbeing—according to the World Health Organization.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Specifically, the study found that the teens and young adults required medical care for common mental disorders like anxiety and depression, a physical health condition, injuries and poisoning, and other physical diseases.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The marvel of this verse is in its vulnerability in expressing sorrow, lost love and despair—under the seams runs the pain.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Among the recurrent themes are suicide, mysteriously intractable sorrow, and failed attempts at familial and romantic connection.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Added to the trauma of grief and sudden eviction under threat of reprisal, Adelaida has to endure seeing the sacred mementos of her mother’s life trashed by the thuggish new squatters.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) Moody and intricate (sometimes maddeningly so), this debut from Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) inflicts supernatural horror and grief upon the students of a Catholic boarding school.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The towering performance has generated major Oscar buzz since the film’s premiere at Telluride, where audiences were visibly shaken — and deeply moved — by Buckley’s portrayal of a mother’s anguish.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan, says the woman lost consciousness and suffered permanent bodily injury, mental anguish, and more in the incident on the Mako coaster on March 24.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Slot must decide whether to keep faith with the same line up which helped lift the gloom with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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In the season four premiere of Mayor of Kingstown, co-creators/writers Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan waste no time smacking viewers with a sense of doom and gloom.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The majority of the NBA’s players have expressed unhappiness with this state of affairs, and with associations with sports books in general.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
26 Oct. 2025
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The wide receiver has made several strange social media posts suggesting unhappiness with his usage.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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