sorrow

[ sor-oh, sawr-oh ]

noun

1. distress caused by loss, affliction, disappointment, etc.; grief, sadness, or regret.
2. a cause or occasion of grief or regret, as an affliction, a misfortune, or trouble:

   His first sorrow was the bank failure.

   Synonyms: adversity

3. the expression of grief, sadness, disappointment, or the like:

   muffled sorrow.

verb (used without object)

1. to feel sorrow; grieve.

   Synonyms: lament, mourn

sorrow

/ ˈsɒrəʊ /

noun

1. the characteristic feeling of sadness, grief, or regret associated with loss, bereavement, sympathy for another's suffering, for an injury done, etc
2. a particular cause or source of regret, grief, etc
3. Also calledsorrowing the outward expression of grief or sadness

verb

1. intr to mourn or grieve

Derived Forms

• ˈsorrowfully, adverb
• ˈsorrowfulness, noun
• ˈsorrowful, adjective
• ˈsorrower, noun

Other Words From

• sorrow·er noun
• sorrow·less adjective
• un·sorrow·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sorg; cognate with German Sorge, Dutch zorg, Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga; (verb) Middle English sorwen, Old English sorgian; cognate with Old High German sorgôn

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow¹

Old English sorg; related to Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga, Old High German sworga

Idioms and Phrases

see drown one's sorrows ; more in sorrow than in anger .

Synonym Study

Sorrow, distress, grief, misery, woe imply bitter suffering, especially as caused by loss or misfortune. Sorrow is the most general term. Grief is keen suffering, especially for a particular reason. Distress implies anxiety, anguish, or acute suffering caused by the pressure of trouble or adversity. Misery suggests such great and unremitting pain or wretchedness of body or mind as crushes the spirit. Woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

Example Sentences

"It did not appear to be one of sorrow which is what was required," he told the BBC.

From BBC

"As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse."

From BBC

“Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful,” which premiered at the Park Avenue Armory on Tuesday, explores ideas about solitude and isolation: Is there the possibility of change in a world steeped with sorrow?

From New York Times

He continues, “We came to see it as a source of laughter in a time of great sorrow. And a tribute to a positive and much-loved Jewish personality in a time of ever-increasing antisemitism.”

From Los Angeles Times

"Maybe America needed something like The Beatles to be lifted out of sorrow."

From BBC