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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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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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
But there is one more ingredient, something that has perhaps been buried underneath everything else in the sorry mess of their 2025-26 campaign.
—
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Despite today’s sorry state, Riverside was once the cemetery of choice.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
To be sure, few freedom-loving people are sorry to see Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gone.
—Storer H. Rowley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
But only sorry until the Gershwin got so irresistibly underway.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Despite today’s sorry state, Riverside was once the cemetery of choice.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
To be sure, few freedom-loving people are sorry to see Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gone.
—Storer H. Rowley, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
But only sorry until the Gershwin got so irresistibly underway.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorry
Adjective
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But large-scale remedies, such as finding alternative sources of revenue like a general tax increase to offset property tax cuts, are less likely when lawmakers and Pritzker are seeking reelection — though political pressures are lessened after the November general election in a lame-duck session.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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This struck me as heartbreakingly lame and, therefore, as a moment of vital consequence.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And there is a beautiful human element to it that is kind of, at its core, a little sad.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
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The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The politicians who shut down the government are pathetic on both sides of the aisle.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
His Floyd constantly straddles the line between sweet and pathetic, often falling off one side or the other.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As society gal Rose DeWitt Bukater, Melissa Barrera has freewheeling fun with Kate Winslett’s unhappy bride-to-be character.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
People on my block were unhappy, and block association president was unhappy.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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She was implicated in the case, with heartbroken Karadec handling her booking himself.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
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Joe heads back downstairs and Irene looks… heartbroken.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Arsenal were pretty poor but won, Sporting were pretty good but lost.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Ackman blamed its poor share price performance partly on the delay of UMG’s listing in the United States.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a pitiful plea for attention on the part of the poster.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Given that California ranks a pitiful 49th in the nation in the condition, safety and costs of roads and bridges, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2025 Annual Highway Report, taxpayers’ transportation dollars would likely be better spent elsewhere.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sorry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorry. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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