1
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
one more sorry stunt like that and you'll be fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
we have sorry news to report tonight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
the ragtag circus was a sorry spectacle indeed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in ashamed
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
she's genuinely sorry for hurting his feelings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
was sorry to see the family farm being sold
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6
as in heartbroken
expressing or suggesting mourning
those sorry rituals that we go through when somebody dies are not for the dead but for the living
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7
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
some sorry wretch had the task of putting all of those files back in order
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sorry
His track record of drafting, developing and managing assets features plenty of blemishes, which explains how the franchise has reached this sorry state to begin with.
—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Unrivaled will be a sequel to Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, which both focus on hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, rival professional players turned lovers (sorry, Shane).
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 12 Jan. 2026
No surprise, the movie had to nix a few locales—sorry, Nashville and Vail, Colorado—and therefore combine a few major plot points to keep this from becoming a four hour movie.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Wait, sorry, who is Ashley French?
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Unrivaled will be a sequel to Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, which both focus on hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, rival professional players turned lovers (sorry, Shane).
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 12 Jan. 2026
No surprise, the movie had to nix a few locales—sorry, Nashville and Vail, Colorado—and therefore combine a few major plot points to keep this from becoming a four hour movie.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Wait, sorry, who is Ashley French?
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorry
Adjective
-
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Gavin Newsom is officially a lame-duck governor, and his final year in office seems increasingly focused on an almost certain campaign for the White House.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The same sad and sinister menace occupying 1600 Penn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, after a while the thrill of getting caught fades, and sneaking around becomes deeply sad rather than sexy.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For Guardiola to focus on lambasting Hallam was pretty pathetic, all told.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Marche feared that ChatGPT-3 meant the end of freshman composition papers, but that’s a pathetic and moribund genre anyhow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Going for the black puffer coat is nothing to be ashamed of.—
Frances Solá-Santiago,
InStyle,
25 Jan. 2026
-
He would be honored in Alex’ sacrifice, and ashamed of this current administration.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Domingo Morel, a professor at New York University who studies state takeovers of local schools, said most local residents wind up unhappy with the methods used by state interventionists and the results.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Audrey, the single and childless and PhD-less product of a stable but unhappy home, has fallen short of the life planned out for her by her parents.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Neighbors said they were heartbroken to hear about the incident.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The younger brother of a man shot celebrating his birthday in the Bronx witnessed the slaying and was wounded by the gunman too, the siblings’ heartbroken mother revealed Monday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Audits have identified poor planning, weak oversight, and insufficient monitoring of quality and cost.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 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
Cite this Entry
“Sorry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorry. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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