1
: in a sad manner : in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness
They spoke sadly of their loss.
She shook her head sadly.
He walked away sadly.
2
: in a way that causes feelings of sadness, disappointment, or regret
a garden that has been sadly neglected for many years
What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.—
Sue Grafton
Sue GraftonThe Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.—Robert Fox
Robert Fox3
: unfortunately
—used to say that something is sad, unfortunate, or regrettable
Sadly, you can upload a perfectly working website today and return a few months later to find that many of its external links have died off.—Matthew MacDonald
Matthew MacDonaldIs there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.—Tom Ewing
Tom EwingExamples of sadly in a Sentence
sadly she told us how her dog died
Recent Examples on the Web
The hot tub in said stand isn’t open, sadly, but its ground floor is, for people to buy lager, ice cream, coffee, tacos, cocktails and, of course, Pimms.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
John Lennon’s one and, sadly, only full-length post-Beatles concert, a charity event in 1972 at Madison Square Garden, can now be experienced in IMAX.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2025
How was that experience for you, working with her to create a representation of these things that, sadly, happened?
—Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2025
Just like Girl Scout cookies themselves, these Pop-Tarts flavors are sadly only available for a limited time, while supplies last.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
John Lennon’s one and, sadly, only full-length post-Beatles concert, a charity event in 1972 at Madison Square Garden, can now be experienced in IMAX.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2025
How was that experience for you, working with her to create a representation of these things that, sadly, happened?
—Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2025
Just like Girl Scout cookies themselves, these Pop-Tarts flavors are sadly only available for a limited time, while supplies last.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadly
Cite this Entry
“Sadly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadly. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share