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What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.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

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

Examples of sadly in a Sentence

sadly she told us how her dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

But sadly, this lets in a lot more than fresh air and natural sunlight. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025

It was sadly demolished in 1980 to make way for a parking lot, but its legacy lives on in the new club. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025

Ella’s story is touching yet sadly not unique. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025

But the Hungarian novelist’s central theme is easily parsed and sadly evergreen. —Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sadly

• badly
• gladly
• madly
• comradely