sadness

American  

[sad-nis] / ˈsæd nɪs /

noun

1. the quality or state of being sad; sorrow.

   It’s frustrating to know the sadness you’re feeling and not be able to help you.

2. an instance of sorrow.

   How can you be so unaware of the sadnesses these children have experienced?

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Etymology

Origin of sadness

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sadnesse; sad ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who's blue feels sadness, like a little girl whose best friend has moved away. Use the noun sadness when you're talking about sorrow. Sadness may be the overwhelming mood at a funeral, for example, or an elderly man might describe his life's greatest sadness as letting his childhood sweetheart get away. An interesting thing about sadness is that its original meaning was "seriousness." It wasn't until the 1600s that it came to mean "full of sorrow."

Example Sentences

Mr. Ferrer’s definitive statement on her life captures both her strength and her sadness: “She never stopped trying on every level to please, to be happy, and to be loved.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

She and her mum had been "picking each other up" in times of sadness, she said, and she was "so excited" to welcome a baby boy into the family.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

While not exactly winding down its tenseness, “Omaha” exits with some explanatory text about the origins of its narrative that will punctuate your sadness with shocks.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

But, in the midst of feeling joyful connection, I also felt sadness nestled next to that joy.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Finally, we can lay that anger and sadness to rest.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• anguish
• grief
• heartache
• heartbreak
• hopelessness
• melancholy
• misery
• mourning
• poignancy
• sorrow