sadden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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saddens,
present (3rd person singular)
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saddened,
past participle, past
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saddening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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saddensimple
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saddenssimple
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have saddenedperfect
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has saddenedperfect
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am saddeningprogressive
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are saddeningprogressive
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is saddeningprogressive
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have been saddeningperfect progressive
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has been saddeningperfect progressive
Past
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saddenedsimple
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had saddenedperfect
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was saddeningprogressive
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were saddeningprogressive
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had been saddeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sadden
Explanation
To sadden is to make someone feel sad, or to become sad. The death of a beloved dog is likely to sadden the whole family. You can say that it saddens your friends when they see vulnerable people bullied or discriminated against. You can also say that your friends sadden you when they tell you about pollution that's causing animals to go extinct. Before the verb sadden came along in the 17th century, the verb meaning "to make sad" was sade, from an Old English root.
Vocabulary lists containing sadden
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and deeply sadden me," the 82-year-old wrote on his Instagram account.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
Responding on Instagram, Iglesias said: "I deny having abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman. These accusations are absolutely false and deeply sadden me."
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
“Amazing Endocrinologist! So sadden for her loss. The staff was just as likeable and professional as her, which is really hard to find in the medical industry,” wrote one patient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2025
“Two things sadden me about this investigation,” Johnson said.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023
“But to use the knowledge of the threading, you must learn the making of the shades. When to sadden with the iron pot. How to bloom the colors. How to bleed.”
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
"There is not much you can do," concedes Bishop Poggo, adding: "It saddens us."
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
“It saddens me to see how much celebration there’s been—especially on a campus that advertises itself as a place where you should feel safe to be you.”
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2025
It saddens me, actually, that they are calling for him to be sacked after just seven games - and I don't think it's fair at all.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
“It saddens my heart to announce the passing of my beloved Queen Cissy Houston today! Please keep the Houston family in your prayers,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston wrote Monday on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2024
Their shared giddiness, the excitement of the preparations, saddens him, all of it reminding him that his father is dead.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
I am saddened by the story of Jason Arday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“We are saddened to hear the news of Tommy John’s passing,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she was "deeply shocked and saddened" to hear about the death and she urged people to "remember there are real people with loved ones involved".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news," Cambridge University's top administrator, Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice, said in a brief statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
He looked at her with glazed, saddened eyes.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
"It's such a tragedy that has impacted our community and is something that has been a shock and such a very saddening moment for the Congolese community."
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
"It’s saddening to hear about all the threats to their jobs," said college senior Nicole Droeger Stephens.
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
“To deal with that at the worst moment of my life, like the scariest, most upsetting, saddening moment of my life,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025
Nick Merriman, chief executive of English Heritage, said the vandalism was "deeply saddening".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024
We did not try to dissuade him, although the thought of going without him was saddening.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
