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.
The attacks were "sad and abhorrent", Ramaphosa said, adding that "we in South Africa deeply regret and mourn" the lives lost.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
For something less medieval, the sad suburbanites of HBO’s “DTF St. Louis” might do the trick, or the tragic romance of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” from FX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
I’m almost positive this piece existed; and the fact that I couldn’t find any mention of it in the sad, hollowed-out husk of the 2026 internet offers no proof that it didn’t.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
"If I'd made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad," she told Vogue in the first interview for the album, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Seeing her so sad and unable to leave the house scared him.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Combined with things such as light therapy, exercise, sleep and a balanced diet, decorating to combat SAD can cheer you up.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
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
SAD is about three times more common in women than it is in men, according to The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023
If your symptoms fit the bill for SAD, consult a health care professional and consider the following:
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
A common first symptom of SAD is the belief that one hears children’s voices in one’s head.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Financial Times's Danny Leigh dished out three stars, saying it paints a "portrait of tech rendering the young both sadder and meaner".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Nothing is sadder than to watch people stroll past that memorial as if nothing is out of the ordinary, our civic pride and historical perspective crushed under the weight of indifference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2026
He’s a symptom of something older, sadder and far less widespread than the headlines suggest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 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
It’s not just his physical appearance: he's sadder, less friendly.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Opinion: 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
In a story about a potential tragedy, what’s saddest is that Winocour’s film cannot match its lead’s effortless command.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
But it was the saddest smile I’d ever seen.
From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
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.
