SADNESS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

sadness

noun

Definition of sadness

as in melancholy

a state or spell of low spirits she was filled with sadness at the thought of having to leave her family

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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.

Recent Examples of sadness Tsai, the Stanford professor, has conducted research on how emotion in American culture puts value on trying to always feel positive and minimizing negativity and sadness. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Survey findings About 28% of Gaston respondents reported moderate or higher levels of negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, anger or boredom, compared with roughly 10% in Union, Venkitasubramanian said. — Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 As much an acknowledgment of survival as a rallying cry, the song draws out sadness as well as satisfaction from the audience. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026 Following his passing, those who knew Mateucci have expressed their deep sadness at the accident and spoken highly of the late rector. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026 In Italian, malinconia evokes a softer, more nostalgic feeling than pure sadness, an appropriate descriptor as the room evokes the good days of the analogue era. — Jaclyn Degiorgio, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 Those visual gags feel like an odd fit for the material; Ishiguro is known more for low-grade existential sadness than slapstick. — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026 And that primary experience was pain and sadness and a deeper sense of heartbrokenness. — Casper Ter Kuile, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026 What was intended to be a day of camaraderie, tradition and celebration has been marked by profound sadness. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness

Noun

The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Noun

Officials say preliminary evidence indicates that all three substances are potent and could result in dependence and respiratory depression.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
When that bubble burst in the Panic of 1893, a third of railroads went bust, more than 500 banks failed, and the economy plunged into a four-year depression.

— Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Crystal’s deep and profound sorrow at the loss of his director and friend Rob Reiner, not to mention Robin WIlliams, are very much present in the show.

— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Noun

In a masterful unbroken shot, Klaus is on the phone from France with his sister, expressing his bottomless anguish.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Polly, by contrast, reads the manuscript and is immediately filled with anguish and all-consuming fury.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of anguish

Noun

The gloom was useful for masking scavenging activities and for concealing one’s identity.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Neither maudlin nor melodramatic, and without any glorification, the song is infected by the same chilling gloom which has glommed onto the best of Messrs Linkous, Berman, and Drake.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of gloom

Noun

With these blue collar parents’ grade-school-age son a tangibly quiet presence, a seemingly impassable unhappiness oozes from the opening scenes.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of unhappiness

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sadly

sadness

safari

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“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sadness

noun

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