sadly
Americanadverb
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in an unhappy, sorrowful, or regretful way; unfortunately; regrettably.
Gun tracing is an attempt to answer the sadly common question of where the gun used in a crime came from.
Sadly, the tourism and money brought in by the World Cup games won't benefit the people who need it most.
Usage
What does sadly mean? Sadly means in an unhappy, sorrowful, or regretful way, as in Whenever my dog looks at me sadly, I can’t help but cuddle him.Sadly is frequently used to mean unfortunately, as in Sadly, he could not make the game today. This usage often gives a more emotional or sympathetic tone to a statement. It’s often used for disappointments, excuses, reports of loss, and any other scenario where something could be upsetting to the listener or reader.Example: We report sadly that we were unable to reach our financial goals this quarter.
Etymology
Origin of sadly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Detective Chf Insp Nicky Jenkins, of Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly died and a detailed investigation is underway to establish what happened."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
In November, we had the first version of the current guideline, against writing new articles with LLMs, which sadly didn’t apply to existing articles, where most of the abuse was.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
I’m sadly reminded of colleagues who never recovered, a sobering thought as we stare down the barrel of yet another employment crisis.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
“All of the events that have been happening since last year, and accelerating this year, tells us that the need for defence is not going away. If anything, sadly, it’s getting stronger.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
The change in color came about strangely and sadly.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.