sad

1 of 2

adjective

ˈsad How to pronounce sad (audio)
sadder; saddest
Synonyms of sadnext
1
a
: affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness : downcast
b(1)
: causing or associated with grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
(2)
: regrettable, deplorable
… a sad relaxation of morals.—C. W. Cunnington
c
: of little worth
2
: of a dull somber color
sadness noun

SAD

2 of 2

abbreviation

seasonal affective disorder

Synonyms of sad

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Adjective

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Examples of sad in a Sentence

Adjective He's feeling sad because his pet died. People were sad that he was leaving. The experience left her sadder but wiser. Have you heard the sad news about his wife's illness? It'll be a sad day when you leave us. a movie with a sad ending He lived a sad life. The sad fact of the matter is that they are right. The new version is a sad imitation of the original movie. We needed more money but, sad to say, there wasn't any.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
What is to come afterwards is when their world is on fire as the fierce Battle Of Okinawa Island takes them , and us, back to sad reality. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026 Legend has it that sad fates befell those who made her angry and happy ones those who were kind to her. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 For all of it to come crashing down because of, essentially, who the president was — is that a bit of a sad ending to this political story for her? — Dustin Desoto, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026 When the modern-day world has nothing to offer us but AI slop, shrinkflation and a sad acceptance that we can't be bothered to do anything about global warming. — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sad

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English sæd sated; akin to Old High German sat sated, Latin satis enough

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sad was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing sad

Rhymes for sad

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Browse Nearby Words

sacrum
sad
SAD
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Cite this Entry

“Sad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

sad

adjective
ˈsad How to pronounce sad (audio)
sadder; saddest
1
: filled with or expressing grief or unhappiness
sad songs
2
: causing grief or unhappiness : depressing
sad news
sadly adverb

Medical Definition

SAD

abbreviation
seasonal affective disorder
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