sadlyadverb
uk/ˈsæd.li/us/ˈsæd.li/sadly adverb (NOT HAPPY)
B2 in an unhappy way:
"He's gone away for six months," she said sadly.
More examples
- She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
- "I just miss him." she said sadly.
- "I want my Daddy back." he said, sadly.
- He shook his head sadly.
- Sadly, she didn't live that long.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Feeling sad and unhappy
- (down) in the dumps idiom
- a dog's life idiom
- a long face idiom
- abject
- be cut up idiom
- be down in the mouth idiom
- be in a funk idiom
- bruised
- distressed
- dog
- doleful
- dour
- grieving
- miserably
- moody
- mope
- mope around (somewhere)
- morose
- mournful
- wretched
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sadly adverb (UNPLEASANT)
B2 in a way that is not satisfactory:
Sadly, the treatment doesn't work for all patients.
If you think she'll let you do that, you're sadly (= completely) mistaken.
More examples
- He is sadly lacking in social graces .
- Enthusiasm has been sadly lacking these past months at work.
- Sadly, the job wasn't suitable.
- Sadly, this didn't solve the problem.
- He had money but sadly no brains to speak of.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sadness and regret
- a heavy heart idiom
- be/weigh on your conscience idiom
- bitter
- bring a lump to/have a lump in your throat idiom
- broken-hearted
- gloom
- gloomy
- guilt
- guilt complex
- guilt trip
- guilt-ridden
- guilt trip
- lament
- melancholy
- mourn
- rue
- rue the day idiom
- rueful
- sackcloth
- sad
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