sadly

adverb

sad·​ly ˈsad-lē 

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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

The Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.

—Robert Fox

3

: 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

Is there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.

—Tom Ewing

Synonyms of sadly

• bitterly
• sorrowfully
• painfully
• regretfully
• mournfully
• hard

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

Teeny, along with several other animals, was surrendered to the Arizona Humane Society after their own was sadly evicted from their residence. — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026

And sadly, these women who begin to realize their full potential no longer have a chance to realize their full potential. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Most workplace tragedies, sadly, never get that attention, even though more than 5,000 people die from accidents at work every year. — Matt Helmer, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026

Words, stories, the company of others can help ease the pain that is interconnected through the first three quarters of the 20th century, and sadly still resonating right thru the first quarter of the 21st. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely