as in melancholy
a state or spell of low spirits
she was filled with sadness at the thought of having to leave her family
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Recent Examples of sadness
The scene where Artax the horse gets stuck in the swamps of sadness?
—
Redazione People, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Family members said it’s been a long road of frustration, agony and sadness watching Hitchcock’s death sentences get overturned three times amid the nearly a dozen appeals his attorneys have filed over the decades.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The undercurrent of pensive sadness gives the movie an emotional depth that helps counter its relatively rote approach.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Allison Lyman, the mother of Connor Lopez, 23, connected with other bereaved women to channel their sadness — and their rage over the light sentences in many vehicular homicide cases — into action.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Words can't express my shock & sadness this morning.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
When the players return to training on Monday afternoon, Roberto De Zerbi will have no time for anyone dwelling on their sadness or disappointment.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Welch’s voice is as unique as her music, thick with sadness one verse, airy and crystalline the next.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Much of the news dominating the local restaurant scene has focused on sadness.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
Redazione People, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Family members said it’s been a long road of frustration, agony and sadness watching Hitchcock’s death sentences get overturned three times amid the nearly a dozen appeals his attorneys have filed over the decades.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
The undercurrent of pensive sadness gives the movie an emotional depth that helps counter its relatively rote approach.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Allison Lyman, the mother of Connor Lopez, 23, connected with other bereaved women to channel their sadness — and their rage over the light sentences in many vehicular homicide cases — into action.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Words can't express my shock & sadness this morning.
—CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
When the players return to training on Monday afternoon, Roberto De Zerbi will have no time for anyone dwelling on their sadness or disappointment.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Welch’s voice is as unique as her music, thick with sadness one verse, airy and crystalline the next.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Much of the news dominating the local restaurant scene has focused on sadness.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadness
Noun
-
Still, the achievement carried a touch of melancholy for Lovell.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But, but what is it rooted in as, Is the end is kind of the melancholy of the song.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And some experience the emotional toll of a disability or chronic pain that can often lead to depression.—
Mike Flynn,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That study, which included doses of magnesium to mitigate any cardiac issues, found significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms after treatment.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the accident and announced monetary relief for the victims’ families.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Parents expressed sorrow at seeing a pillar of their children’s music journey gone too soon.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nataliia’s death sparked a period of national grief.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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In her latest Netflix action effort, Theron plays a woman who sets off on a trip to Australia to soothe her grief but unwittingly crosses paths with Egerton’s unnerving hunter, who forces her into a game of cat and mouse.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He was injured and absent from the squad that lost the Championship play-off final here two years ago, but, on this occasion, he would not be spared that especially severe kind of anguish under the arch.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Yet, Seth and Bynum are skeptical of Herold, whose torment and anguish cloaks him better than his long grey coat.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hope springs eternal in Mamdaniland Despite all the doom and gloom in Mets Nation right now, there are still 140 games left to play in the regular season, a point Mamdani emphasized on Tuesday.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
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And Sahm told Fortune the gloom isn’t just about this spring.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Mizrachi sees potential for Pensacola in some of the same forces that are luring Jews to Boca and Aventure — including unhappiness among New Yorkers with the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.—
Larry Luxner,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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Nazarian also discussed the importance of addressing the psychological component of plastic surgery, noting that no procedure will fix underlying unhappiness.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.—
Ulf Laessing,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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But complications can extend the misery well beyond the visible rash.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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