sadnesssad‧ness /ˈsædnəs/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] 
She sensed Beth’s deep sadness. It was with great sadness that we learned of his death. There was a touch of sadness in his voice (=he sounded a little sad). His relief was tinged with sadness (=he also felt rather sad).THESAURUSsadness a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else’s unhappiness: · Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.· I noticed a little sadness in her eyes.unhappiness the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation, especially when this lasts for a long time: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· She was a tense, nervous young woman, whose deep unhappiness was obvious to all those around her.· You do not know how much pain and unhappiness you have caused.sorrow written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · There seemed to be nowhere to go to be alone with her sorrow.· His heart was filled with great sorrow after her death.misery great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The cold weather is with us again and the misery of the homeless is increasing.· Thousands of families were destined to a life of misery.· The misery and pain he caused were, for him, merely a measure of his success.despair a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · At the end of the month, she still had no job and was tired, frustrated, and close to despair.grief great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · He was overcome with grief when his wife died.heartache a strong feeling of great sadness, especially because you miss someone you love: · She remembered the heartache of the first Christmas spent away from her sons.depression a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · He slipped into a depression in which he hardly ate or even left his room.despondency formal a feeling of being very unhappy and without hope: · She felt useless, and this contributed to her despondency.melancholy literary a feeling of sadness, that you feel even though there is no particular reason for it: · Modigliani expressed his melancholy through his painting.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- After her death, Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.
- Her eyes were full of sadness.
- I remembered with great sadness all the friends I had left behind.
- He writes me about his sadness and loneliness, his hopes and fears, his dreams and plans.
- I feel an aching sadness about Belinda amongst the pine resins and cinnamon smells and the Christmas music.
- I felt sadness, despair, and a bitter rage.
- New thinking on sadness suggests that it is the result of depressed serotonin levels.
- The sadness caused the drinking, not the other way around.
- There was no way she knew to fill up the violent sadness that had emptied her.
THESAURUS
a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else’s unhappiness: · Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.· I noticed a little sadness in her eyes.
the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation, especially when this lasts for a long time: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· She was a tense, nervous young woman, whose deep unhappiness was obvious to all those around her.· You do not know how much pain and unhappiness you have caused.
written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · There seemed to be nowhere to go to be alone with her sorrow.· His heart was filled with great sorrow after her death.
great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The cold weather is with us again and the misery of the homeless is increasing.· Thousands of families were destined to a life of misery.· The misery and pain he caused were, for him, merely a measure of his success.
a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · At the end of the month, she still had no job and was tired, frustrated, and close to despair.
great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · He was overcome with grief when his wife died.
a strong feeling of great sadness, especially because you miss someone you love: · She remembered the heartache of the first Christmas spent away from her sons.
a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · He slipped into a depression in which he hardly ate or even left his room.
formal a feeling of being very unhappy and without hope: · She felt useless, and this contributed to her despondency.
literary a feeling of sadness, that you feel even though there is no particular reason for it: · Modigliani expressed his melancholy through his painting.
Longman Language Activatora sad feeling a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else's unhappiness: · Her eyes were full of sadness.with (great) sadness: · I remembered with great sadness all the friends I had left behind.sense of sadness: · After her death, Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.
the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· There is no doubt that unhappiness contributes to ill health.· You've no idea what unhappiness you cause your parents when you say that you want to leave home.
especially written great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · Thousands of people sent floral tributes as an expression of their grief.· He was overcome with grief when his wife died.
a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · The family had a history of alcoholism and depression.· Mild symptoms of anxiety and depression are often associated with social difficulties.deep/severe depression: · My father had suffered from severe depression for many years.
a feeling of sadness that is not very serious, that you get sometimes for no particular reason: get/have the blues: · I often get the blues in February, before the spring arrives.a fit of the blues: · It's very common for new mothers to have a fit of the blues after giving birth.the Monday/post-Christmas etc blues: · Most people know what it's like to have the Monday morning blues.
great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The high interest rates caused misery for millions of people.the misery of something/somebody: · He talked openly about the misery of his marriage.· We cannot ignore the misery of the people in this country who are forced to live on the streets.
written a feeling of sadness, especially one that continues for a long time: · He was a strange man, prone to melancholy and bouts of drinking.· Jake was fourteen and suffering from adolescent melancholy.
written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · deep/great sorrow: · The deep sorrow she felt was obvious in the expression of her face.in sorrow: · He turned quickly away, more in sorrow than in anger.to somebody's sorrow: · Six weeks later we heard, to our great sorrow, that he had died.
a feeling of unhappiness and worry, that often continues for a long time and is usually caused by problems in your personal life and relationships: · Her relationship with Tyler had brought her a great deal of heartache.· Being unpopular at school can cause real heartache to children of any age.save/spare (somebody) a lot of heartache (=stop someone worrying and feeling unhappy): · If she had simply called them, her parents would have been spared a lot of heartache.
formal a feeling of unhappiness, especially because you have been very disappointed and feel that you cannot change a situation: · Robyn walked away from the hospital with a feeling of despondency.· The sense of well-being of the 1980s was replaced by a mood of despondency.gloom/doom and despondency: · The atmosphere amongst the workers was one of gloom and despondency.
a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · I could see hunger, exhaustion and despair in their eyes.· There was a mood of despair about the quality of urban and industrial life.in despair: · Left all alone in her room, she was in despair.the depths of despair: · It seems that he had reached the depths of despair, and he finally took his own life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She sensed Beth’s deep sadness. It was with great sadness that we learned of his death. There was a touch of sadness in his voice (=he sounded a little sad). His relief was tinged with sadness (=he also felt rather sad).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES His voice was tinged with sadness and regret.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
She sensed Beth’s deep sadness. It was with great sadness that we learned of his death. There was a touch of sadness in his voice (=he sounded a little sad). His relief was tinged with sadness (=he also felt rather sad). His voice was tinged with sadness and regret.· When he wondered this he felt a deep sadness.· It was crying of the deepest sadness.· Everywhere there was a deep sense of sadness.· Rather, Ruskin and Morris threw themselves into so much work, I feel, to escape the deep sadness.· It was, however, obvious that there was some deep sadness within him.· On his face was an expression of deep sadness.· It was a deep sadness to Goebbels that National Socialism had attracted over the years so few people of intellectual quality.
· As she gazed intently towards the small group that was her family, a great sadness filled Beth's heart.· Perhaps despite great sadness to read a few paragraphs of this fascinating moon manuscript.· As he did so, he felt a great sadness, an acute sense of loss, filling his entire being.· And there would be a great sadness if it vanished, because it has become part of feline history.· These will always be situations of great sadness and often pain.· It was as if it was harbouring some great consuming sadness and had lost the urge to live.· It is a great sadness to me, even today, that this was not possible.· Her dark eyes, which seemed almost too large for her small features, held an expression of great sadness.
VERB· It is this bleakness that Tennyson uses to express sadness and death.· Yet all the while she spoke with me, she never made a sound nor expressed any sadness or regret.· He joined the people of Britain and Ireland in expressing his own sadness at the carnage.· However, she did not feel comfortable in talking to him about this or expressing both her sadness and her anger.
· Love flared through her, she felt desire and sadness too because she knew this was a fleeting moment.· There was a moment, I have to admit, when I was overtaken by a feeling of infinite sadness.· When he wondered this he felt a deep sadness.· I felt sadness, despair, and a bitter rage.· She felt an aura of sadness around her like a pall.· He put the box between them and felt a sudden sadness that all the warmth between them had been yanked away.· I feel an aching sadness about Belinda amongst the pine resins and cinnamon smells and the Christmas music.· He feels sadness in objects, in warehouse cartons and blood-soaked clothes.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► silence/a hush/sadness etc falls
- Carew felt a twinge of envy.
- Romanov felt a twinge of envy at the thought that he could never hope to live in such style.
- Thrilled by the beauty of the scene, she had sometimes felt a twinge of envy for the people on board.
WORD FAMILYnounsadnesssaddoadjectivesadsaddeningverbsaddenadverbsadly
the state of feeling sad SYN unhappinessgreat/deep sadness She sensed Beth’s deep sadness. It was with great sadness that we learned of his death. There was a touch of sadness in his voice (=he sounded a little sad). His relief was tinged with sadness (=he also felt rather sad).THESAURUSsadness a sad feeling, caused especially when a happy time is ending, or when you feel sorry about someone else’s unhappiness: · Charles felt a great sense of sadness and loss.· I noticed a little sadness in her eyes.unhappiness the unhappy feeling you have when you are in a very difficult or unpleasant situation, especially when this lasts for a long time: · After years of unhappiness, she finally decided to leave him.· She was a tense, nervous young woman, whose deep unhappiness was obvious to all those around her.· You do not know how much pain and unhappiness you have caused.sorrow written the feeling of being very sad, especially because someone has died or because terrible things have happened to you: · There seemed to be nowhere to go to be alone with her sorrow.· His heart was filled with great sorrow after her death.misery great unhappiness, caused especially by living or working in very bad conditions: · The cold weather is with us again and the misery of the homeless is increasing.· Thousands of families were destined to a life of misery.· The misery and pain he caused were, for him, merely a measure of his success.despair a feeling of great unhappiness, because very bad things have happened and you have no hope that anything will change: · At the end of the month, she still had no job and was tired, frustrated, and close to despair.grief great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died: · He was overcome with grief when his wife died.heartache a strong feeling of great sadness, especially because you miss someone you love: · She remembered the heartache of the first Christmas spent away from her sons.depression a mental illness that makes someone feel so unhappy that they have no energy or hope for the future, and they cannot live a normal life: · He slipped into a depression in which he hardly ate or even left his room.despondency formal a feeling of being very unhappy and without hope: · She felt useless, and this contributed to her despondency.melancholy literary a feeling of sadness, that you feel even though there is no particular reason for it: · Modigliani expressed his melancholy through his painting.