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Synonyms

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
sorry Idioms  

  1. see better safe than sorry.

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catching herself, she adds, “If my husband reads this, he’ll be like, ‘I’m sorry, what?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

“I don’t think anybody is going to feel too sorry for us that you might be tired. I’m tired, too, but who is not?”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

“I have to say I’m so sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry,” she said through tears.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

There were requests for hot water for instant noodles and Gil queued up the paper cups and yes, sorry, promised to attend to them in just a moment.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

“When life gives you crap… turn it into fertilizer. Ah, sorry, that was probably stupid.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

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.