affected by unhappiness or grief; sorrowful or mournful.
to feel sad because a close friend has moved away.
expressive of or characterized by sorrow.
sad looks;
a sad song.
causing sorrow.
a sad disappointment;
sad news.
(of color) somber, dark, or dull; drab.
deplorably bad; sorry.
a sad attempt.
Obsolete. firm or steadfast.
feeling sorrow; unhappy
causing, suggestive, or expressive of such feelings
a sad story
unfortunate; unsatisfactory; shabby; deplorable
her clothes were in a sad state
informal ludicrously contemptible; pathetic
he's a sad, boring little wimp
(of pastry, cakes, etc) not having risen fully; heavy
(of a colour) lacking brightness; dull or dark
archaic serious; grave
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English sæd “grave, heavy, weary,” originally “sated, full”; cognate with German satt, Gothic saths “full, satisfied”; akin to Latin satis “enough,” satur “sated,” Greek hádēn “enough.” See satiate, saturate
From Arabic
When you're sad, you feel unhappy. If you've ever experienced the death of a pet you loved deeply, you know exactly what it means to feel sad. You might use the adjective sad informally to describe something that's pathetic or that you feel scornful or disdainful about. For example, you might comment on your friend's elaborate homemade hat by saying, "That hat is just sad," though it wouldn't be very nice of you to say it. The term "sad sack" became popular during World War II and has been used ever since to refer to an incompetent, slightly pitiful person.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We live practically like fireflies here -- in the dark all the time. You never know when you'll have power; it's our sad reality," Julian Gonzalez, a 72-year-old carpenter, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Yeah, that was actually kind of funny in a sad way,” Hellmann said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
“A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people,” he wrote on Telegram.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Well, that was long and sad enough to make one miss Ian.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“I can’t stay away from the office forever. Your mother will be sad that she missed you.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The NHS recommends people who think they might have SAD and are struggling to cope see their GP.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
She said there were steps that could be taken if a person suspected they had SAD including changes to lifestyle, such as diet and physical activity.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023
The days are shorter, the nights are dark and full of terrors and you are left, once again, feeling SAD.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
Seattle sits about 3,290 miles north of the equator, prime territory for the Big SAD, in contrast with warmer climates.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
SAD cases are admitted for free care at the Amnesia Sanctuary on Nomansan Island, a state-of-the-art facility where patients live comfortably, under strict quarantine, while the cure for their disease is sought.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
He’s a symptom of something older, sadder and far less widespread than the headlines suggest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
It’s also well cast, with the appealing Blyth always in control of the undercurrents, especially alongside the excellent Tovey, playing a sadder, wiser closetedness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2025
"Nothing can make me sadder, or diminish my value more than losing my dad, one of my best mates and the rock of our family."
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
The world would be a sadder place without Queen's music, John Waters' films, and Andy Warhol's paintings.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2025
I fear that if I ask, I will make Chou and Kim sadder than they already are.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Also read: Running out of money is not the saddest retirement mistake you can make.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Anton Du Beke, Widdecombe's dance partner on Strictly, said her death was the "saddest of news".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Mr. Adams also proved to be the right composer to memorialize America’s saddest day: Sept. 11, 2001, when the nation was brought virtually to its knees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Taix was where I watched the heroic Zinedine Zidane headbutt the gutless Marco Materazzi in the saddest World Cup final ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
I opened my eyes to find her staring at me with the saddest smile.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
