1
: in a sad manner : in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness
They spoke sadly of their loss.
She shook her head sadly.
He walked away sadly.
2
: in a way that causes feelings of sadness, disappointment, or regret
a garden that has been sadly neglected for many years
What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—
Sue Grafton
Sue GraftonThe Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.—Robert Fox
Robert Fox3
: unfortunately
—used to say that something is sad, unfortunate, or regrettable
Sadly, you can upload a perfectly working website today and return a few months later to find that many of its external links have died off.—Matthew MacDonald
Matthew MacDonaldIs there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.—Tom Ewing
Tom EwingExamples of sadly in a Sentence
sadly she told us how her dog died
Recent Examples on the Web
To its sadly unusual credit, each Enola Holmes film has taken on a different social issue to address, albeit at times rather on the nose-edly.
—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
The Prince of Wales sadly won’t be attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding Friday in New York City, but the heir to the British throne nonetheless made sure to offer some royal prestige to events.
—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 July 2026
This variable star is also located 250 light-years from Earth, but is sadly lost from view in the glare of the sun during the summer months.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 June 2026
Little Debbie Apple Flips Though there are still plenty of Little Debbie classics filling the shelves at Southern grocery stores, and even new arrivals from time to time, there are also sadly some treats that have been discontinued.
—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadly
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Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
The Prince of Wales sadly won’t be attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding Friday in New York City, but the heir to the British throne nonetheless made sure to offer some royal prestige to events.
—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 July 2026
This variable star is also located 250 light-years from Earth, but is sadly lost from view in the glare of the sun during the summer months.
—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
29 June 2026
Little Debbie Apple Flips Though there are still plenty of Little Debbie classics filling the shelves at Southern grocery stores, and even new arrivals from time to time, there are also sadly some treats that have been discontinued.
—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Cite this Entry
“Sadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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