sorrow

[ sor-oh, sawr-oh ]

noun

1. distress caused by loss, affliction, disappointment, etc.; grief, sadness, or regret.
2. a cause or occasion of grief or regret, as an affliction, a misfortune, or trouble:

   His first sorrow was the bank failure.

   Synonyms: adversity

3. the expression of grief, sadness, disappointment, or the like:

   muffled sorrow.

verb (used without object)

1. to feel sorrow; grieve.

   Synonyms: lament, mourn

sorrow

/ ˈsɒrəʊ /

noun

1. the characteristic feeling of sadness, grief, or regret associated with loss, bereavement, sympathy for another's suffering, for an injury done, etc
2. a particular cause or source of regret, grief, etc
3. Also calledsorrowing the outward expression of grief or sadness

verb

1. intr to mourn or grieve

Derived Forms

• ˈsorrowful, adjective
• ˈsorrowfully, adverb
• ˈsorrower, noun
• ˈsorrowfulness, noun

Other Words From

• sorrow·er noun
• sorrow·less adjective
• un·sorrow·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sorg; cognate with German Sorge, Dutch zorg, Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga; (verb) Middle English sorwen, Old English sorgian; cognate with Old High German sorgôn

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow¹

Old English sorg; related to Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga, Old High German sworga

Idioms and Phrases

see drown one's sorrows ; more in sorrow than in anger .

Synonym Study

Sorrow, distress, grief, misery, woe imply bitter suffering, especially as caused by loss or misfortune. Sorrow is the most general term. Grief is keen suffering, especially for a particular reason. Distress implies anxiety, anguish, or acute suffering caused by the pressure of trouble or adversity. Misery suggests such great and unremitting pain or wretchedness of body or mind as crushes the spirit. Woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

Example Sentences

It was always secondary to the experience of sitting around the table and listening to stories from the people I love, fueled by a second bottle of wine and a shared history of joy and sorrow.

From Washington Post

In grief it is difficult to think of everyone, but when you do, beauty intrudes upon sorrow, and something lifts.

From Washington Post

Joy, on the other hand, has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even—sometimes, most especially—in the midst of suffering.

From Popular-Science

Kids who use dark play to explore violence, sin, and sorrow can make their parents mighty uncomfortable.

From Popular-Science

What makes The Idiot so good, the place where both the humor and the sorrow lie, is in the accumulation of its main character Selin’s observations as she watches “all the irrelevant garbage.”

From Vox

He also wrote the single, “Divine Sorrow,” with Swedish DJ Avicii to help raise money for (RED).

From The Daily Beast

How did this track with Avicii, “Divine Sorrow,” benefiting the RED campaign to fight AIDS come about?

From The Daily Beast

Far from a rant, her tone throughout is cool and methodical, and her critiques are couched more in sorrow than in anger.

From The Daily Beast

Her pallid young face, brow sweating with fear and pain, yet resolute and stiff with sorrow, makes you want to cry.

From The Daily Beast

“The U.S. celebrates the day it became independent every year with fireworks rather than sorrow,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

For of sadness cometh death, and it overwhelmeth the strength, and the sorrow of the heart boweth down the neck.

From Project Gutenberg

In withdrawing aside sorrow remaineth: and the substance of the poor is according to his heart.

From Project Gutenberg

Three short years had not taught her how to bear sorrow with full knowledge.

From Project Gutenberg

The baby had thrived; as placid, laughing a little thing as if its mother had never known sorrow.

From Project Gutenberg

Could he have a sorrow which she might chase away, and, having the power, lack the heart to do it?

From Project Gutenberg