sadly
Americanadverb
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of sadly
Explanation
When something is done sadly, it happens in a downhearted, unhappy way. You can speak sadly, hang your head sadly, or even smile sadly to convey how melancholy you're truly feeling. Sad means unhappy or sorrowful, so if the adverb sadly describes someone's actions, they're feeling down in the dumps. The Old English root of both words originally meant "full or sated with food," and later came to describe a heaviness that remains in the word sadly. It's also used to mean "unfortunately" or "it is a sad fact that," so you might say, "Sadly, chess club is canceled for the foreseeable future."
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.
Welcome to this weekend’s edition of the Surge, a politics newsletter that, in light of the hantavirus outbreak, sadly will be canceling all of our future vacations to rat-infested garbage dumps.
From Slate • May 9, 2026
But you’ve had some real loss recently — you were close to Silent Servant and the Soft Moon, who sadly passed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
The rest of the story is sadly familiar to the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, airlines and consumer advocates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Looking at Patel’s career before he took over the FBI shows a strong pattern of thirsty behavior that makes all of this sadly predictable.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
“The picture doesn’t even look like my real mother,” she said sadly.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
