Definition of sorrynext
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as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness was sorry to see the family farm being sold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word sorry different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sorry are contemptible, despicable, pitiable, and scurvy. While all these words mean "arousing or deserving scorn," sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

When is contemptible a more appropriate choice than sorry?

The meanings of contemptible and sorry largely overlap; however, contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

When might despicable be a better fit than sorry?

The synonyms despicable and sorry are sometimes interchangeable, but despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

Where would pitiable be a reasonable alternative to sorry?

While in some cases nearly identical to sorry, pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

How are the words scurvy and despicable related as synonyms of sorry?

Scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sorry For those who’ve been following the series closely, the Ars staff is sorry for the long gap! ArsTechnica, 25 May 2026 And, sorry to the Skywalkers, but this is Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu's time to shine. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026 As this page has chronicled, everything from airline turf wars and safety concerns to a sorry on-time performance went into that determination. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026 For those wishing to hand everyone an F for not winning the Stanley Cup, sorry. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for sorry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorry
Adjective
  • As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.
    Swan Huntley, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
  • Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Adjective
  • The other six ascended to the highest office in the land as a result of the dysfunction that has made Peru a punch line in political-science circles, a sad story of ungovernability played on a loop.
    Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
  • There’s a one-note quality to the film’s comedy that grows steadily, even deliberately, more abrasive over two hours, but the sad, brash, gradually shrinking bigness of the personalities at its center holds your attention.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 4 June 2026
Adjective
  • By then, Thomsen says, the public perception had shifted from regarding it as tough and controversial to seeing it as desperate and pathetic.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
  • The plan involved discovering a long lost princess, hopping on a plane to London, breaking into a museum store room, and enlisting the help of a very pathetic historian.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Adjective
  • At their most effective, residential schools left Survivors ashamed and confused about being Indigenous.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
  • Mike Isaac, a veteran tech reporter for the Times, wasn’t ashamed to admit that Brockman had inspired him to secure his own butt pillow.
    Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • What’s leaving one unhappy child at home compared to sending five hundred people home from the theatre happy?
    Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • Shohei Ohtani almost became the most unhappy pitcher to ever be part of throwing a no-hitter.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • Ali later finds her, a moment that leaves him completely heartbroken, before testing the drugs and confirming they were laced with fentanyl.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
  • Horace leaves Hollywood and a heartbroken but determined Aaron behind.
    Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 June 2026
  • O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.
    Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
  • With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.
    Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sorry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorry. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.

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