sorely

adverb

ˈsȯr-lē How to pronounce sorely (audio)
Definition of sorelynext
1
as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief our company president, who is retiring at the end of the year, will be sorely missed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terribly
to a great degree completed some sorely needed repairs to the boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sorely Some of these states, including Ascherson’s beloved Poland, hastily transitioned to market economies, sorely disappointing him. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026 The Idaho transfer had a strong fall camp and has a versatile skillset that the Horned Frogs sorely missed against the Tar Heels. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026 She will be sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of meeting her across the Taekwon-Do community. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026 Sumrall preaches discipline and accountability, two qualities sorely lacking as the tenures of Dan Mullen and Billy Napier unraveled. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sorely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorely
  1. bitterly
  2. terribly
  3. sadly
  4. extremely
  5. sorrowfully
  6. severely
  7. painfully
  8. desperately
Adverb
  • Seemingly intentionally, the film leaves some details unresolved — where’s Jo’s absentee father, and exactly what made Manang so bitterly angry?
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • China is demanding the US ease export bans on high-tech goods, like chipmaking gear; the US bitterly complains about Chinese overproduction and transhipment.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • The wish, of course, goes terribly wrong, leading to bloody consequences for Bear, Nikki and their friends.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Fortunately, if no less terribly, there is more to the story, and many of the most compelling scenes have little or nothing to do with Michael.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Swift’s hubby Travis Kelce, however, was sadly absent from the show, as the NFL star had a Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins in Florida today.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The dine-in omakase counter has sadly departed, but in its stead, Café Sushi Shoten has adopted a to-go model paired with Japanese groceries and sundries that is no less authentic, engaging, and delicious.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • Eco effort D’Inghilterra’s sustainability efforts stand out at Café Romano where the ingredients are local and extremely fresh—the chef likely selected the veggies in your salad from the market that morning.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Arrests near schools or colleges have increased, though enforcement actions on campuses are extremely uncommon.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • The attacks and the air raid alerts that accompany them have severely disrupted life in the city, forcing millions to constantly seek shelter and paralyzing the capital’s businesses and transport networks.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • While much of the AI safety debate has centered on losing control of AI, Altman said restricting access to AI too severely in the name of safety could be harmful too.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • For the past three decades, defense procurement was a stagnant oligopoly dominated by a handful of massive legacy prime contractors and painfully slow cost-plus research-and-development cycles.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Life opened like a zipper, separating them painfully at first, notch by notch, then faster, wider, until the garment lay split in two.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • The driver was unconscious; Boyd’s stepfather and his crew scoured the site desperately.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Plus, cutting bait with the coach would mean paying one of the biggest buyouts in the history of the sport — money that USC could desperately use to keep building up the talent in the program.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of desperately

Browse Nearby Words

soreheads
sorely
soreness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sorely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorely. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All