sad sack

noun

US, informal
: a blundering, inept person
… a sad sack so unlucky in love that when his girlfriend splits, his family sides with her.—Rand Richards Cooper
sad-sack
ˈsad-ˌsak How to pronounce sad sack (audio)
adjective

Examples of sad sack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Peruse our Misery Index for the final eight franchises in the NBA and NHL and adopt a sad sack! — Greg Cote may 4, Miami Herald, 4 May 2026 Eddie Marsan also delivers a sympathetic turn as the sad sack dad worn down by the effects of capitalism and sometimes crippling OCD. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026 In doing so, Trump is like a one-man United Nations, doing the work in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world that the sad sack UN cannot or will not do. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026 There are dozens upon dozens of memorable eccentrics, delusional antiheroes, blustery authority figures, sad sacks, screw-ups and all-too-lovable schmucks that populate the 12 feature films and handful of shorts directed by Wes Anderson. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sad sack

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sad sack was in 1942

Rhymes for sad sack

See All Rhymes for sad sack

Browse Nearby Words

sadomasochism
sad sack
sadware
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sad sack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad%20sack. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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