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
Miss Manners is sorry to see the end of an ancient tradition that was one of the hallmarks of civilization.
—
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Thibodeau quickly turned around that sorry franchise, leading Chicago to a 62-20 record and its first (and, so far, last) East Finals appearance since 1998.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Teens are also sick of storytelling tropes that include love triangles (sorry, Celine Song), toxic relationships framed as romantic, and relationships based mostly on physical attraction, per the survey.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
So, if you're prompted to download and install an update by your car's infotainment screen, better to be safe than sorry.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Thibodeau quickly turned around that sorry franchise, leading Chicago to a 62-20 record and its first (and, so far, last) East Finals appearance since 1998.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Teens are also sick of storytelling tropes that include love triangles (sorry, Celine Song), toxic relationships framed as romantic, and relationships based mostly on physical attraction, per the survey.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
So, if you're prompted to download and install an update by your car's infotainment screen, better to be safe than sorry.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorry
Adjective
-
The flowers are the best, even if the leaves are lame and flop over.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Enter Claude Whelan, played by James Callis, a fine actor with a face that can contort itself into about a dozen different versions of misery and pathetic dismay.—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Carol is a very successful writer who’s ashamed of the work that’s become her calling card.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Here’s where the show does have some awareness about its characters’ problematic indiscretions, and Carrington pushes back to point out that a relationship with a trans woman isn’t anything to be ashamed of.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Pauline Collins, the exuberant British actress who inspired women — and men, too — to do something to change their unhappy lives with her Oscar-nominated and Olivier- and Tony-winning performances in Shirley Valentine, has died.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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That distaste didn’t hurt Spanberger and her ticket, because 18% of those unhappy voters backed her anyway.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
As the title suggests, the book details Turner's tale of a heartbroken widower who became an unlikely senior-citizen TV star on the first season of the reality show, which ended with an engagement to Nist.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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Thomas told the outlet that her brother’s diagnosis left their family heartbroken.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Ministry of Environment blamed this year’s surge on a poor acorn harvest – which drove a similar spate of attacks in 2023.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
With a release on just over 2,000 screens, that's a pitiful per-theater-average of $649.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sorry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorry. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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