sadly

[sad-lee]

adverb

1. in an unhappy, sorrowful, or regretful way; unfortunately; regrettably.

   Gun tracing is an attempt to answer the sadly common question of where the gun used in a crime came from.

   Sadly, the tourism and money brought in by the World Cup games won't benefit the people who need it most.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sadly¹

sad ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Lawyer Henry Clack sadly knows a lot about Nigerian criminal gangs.

From BBC

Now 17, Sam's resilience has sadly been tested further after the loss of his mum, who recently died from cancer.

From BBC

But the fear many Americans have isn’t coming from street crime or even from the horror of gun violence, to which we have all become sadly accustomed.

From Salon

“They tried to intentionally stop what we were doing. And so, sadly, we don’t know where it would’ve gone. And that’s a little frustrating.”

From Los Angeles Times

"A normal childhood. All of those things that, that you would hope would never lead to something like this. And sadly, it did."

From BBC

Related Words

• wistfully 

When To Use

What does sadly mean?

Sadly means in an unhappy, sorrowful, or regretful way, as in Whenever my dog looks at me sadly, I can’t help but cuddle him.Sadly is frequently used to mean unfortunately, as in Sadly, he could not make the game today. This usage often gives a more emotional or sympathetic tone to a statement. It’s often used for disappointments, excuses, reports of loss, and any other scenario where something could be upsetting to the listener or reader.Example: We report sadly that we were unable to reach our financial goals this quarter.