sayonara
Americaninterjection
Etymology
Origin of sayonara
First recorded in 1860–65; from Japanese sayō-nara, shortening of sayō-naraba, equivalent to sayō “thus” + naraba “if it be”
Explanation
The word sayonara means "goodbye" or "farewell." When you are seeing your friend off at the airport, you can wave and say, "Sayonara!" Sayonara is a casual way to say goodbye, similar to phrases like "so long" or "see ya!" You might say sayonara to your traveling grandmother, or say sayonara to a terrible job at the end of a long summer. It's a Japanese word that has been a popular informal word in English since the late 1800s. It literally means "if it is to be that way," combining sayo, "that way," and nara, "if."
Vocabulary lists containing sayonara
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.
“I never really wanted to do one because I always thought it was like a bit of a farewell, like a sayonara, a swan song,” the lead singer and songwriter says.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
“So sayonara, sucka! 2022, it’s a new year. ‘Cause guess what?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2022
Omitted from the sayonara was any celebration of the broader Fox News product.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2021
The boss has spoken: We’re leaving, pronto, sayonara, gone for good.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2019
And how a low voice in the gloom Of the temple pine-trees leaning there Said sayonara to one somewhere Unseen in the shadow-haunted air?
From Sea Poems by Rice, Cale Young
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.
