sorry

American  

[sor-ee, sawr-ee] / ˈsɒr i, ˈsɔr i /

adjective

sorrier, sorriest

1. feeling regret, compunction, sympathy, pity, etc..

   to be sorry to leave one's friends; to be sorry for a remark; to be sorry for someone in trouble.

   Synonyms:

   pitying , sympathetic , regretful

   Antonyms:

   happy

2. regrettable or deplorable; unfortunate; tragic.

   a sorry situation; to come to a sorry end.

3. sorrowful, grieved, or sad.

   Was she sorry when her brother died?

   Synonyms:

   depressed , unhappy

4. associated with sorrow; suggestive of grief or suffering; melancholy; dismal.

   Synonyms:

   painful , mournful , grievous

5. wretched, poor, useless, or pitiful.

   a sorry horse.

   Synonyms:

   worthless , paltry , contemptible , abject , shabby

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interjection

1. (used as a conventional apology or expression of regret).

   Sorry, you're misinformed. Did I bump you? Sorry.

sorry British  

/ ˈsɒrɪ /

adjective

1. feeling or expressing pity, sympathy, remorse, grief, or regret

   I feel sorry for him

2. pitiful, wretched, or deplorable

   a sorry sight

3. poor; paltry

   a sorry excuse

4. affected by sorrow; sad

5. causing sorrow or sadness

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interjection

1. an exclamation expressing apology, used esp at the time of the misdemeanour, offence, etc

sorry Idioms  

1. see better safe than sorry.

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Related Words

See wretched.

Other Word Forms

• sorrily adverb
• sorriness noun
• unsorry adjective

Etymology

Origin of sorry

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sārig; cognate with Low German sērig, Old High German sērag. See sore, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“I’m sorry. No, I need to head home.”

From Salon

"I said to GP that there's quite a social media storm. He said, 'sorry if I caused that, I didn't see the incident.'"

From BBC

On Saturday, Mr Abaraonye told The Times he wished to apologise directly to Mr Kirk's family and was "very sorry" for his comments.

From BBC

First, I’m so sorry for your loss, and I commend you for caring for your father in his old age.

From MarketWatch

"I feel sorry for them, it's not their fault and it's ruined their lives."

From BBC

Related Words

• apologetic
• contrite
• regretful
• remorseful
• touched