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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

• agonizingly
• bitterly
• dolefully
• dolorously
• grievously
• hard
• hardly
• inconsolably
• lugubriously
• mournfully
• painfully
• plaintively
• regretfully
• resentfully
• ruefully
• sorely
• sorrowfully
• unhappily
• wailfully
• woefully
• wretchedly

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

Those wives, whether alone or in groups, always seem to be sadly gazing at Louis from a distance, like Grizabella waiting for her moment at the Jellicle Ball. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024

Jaylen Black, vice president of marketing communications for Planned Parenthood Southeast — which operates health centers in Georgia — said that the stories are sadly unsurprising and that additional deaths have most likely gone unreported. —Randi Richardson, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024

Gerda mentioned a 2013 Orange County grand jury report that said the lack of a vibrant press in O.C. was essentially an invitation for civic corruption, which has sadly proved true. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

With the assistance of Cissy’s memory, Instagram posts, a bartender, and tattoo artist, Kaya, Elsbeth, and Mac retrace Mac’s steps from the night before to piece together what happened, furnishing a timeline to fill in the sizable gaps in Mac’s memory, and, sadly, a dead body. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1