sad

UK: 'sad', 'SAD': /ˈsæd/ US: /sæd/ ,(sad)

Inflections of 'sad' (adj):

sadder

adj comparative

saddest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

sad /sæd/   adj., sad•der, sad•dest. 

1. feeling unhappiness or grief:
   to feel sad.
2. expressing or causing sorrow:
   a sad song.
3. awfully bad;
   sorry:
   a sad attempt to make a joke.

sad•ly, adv.: 

She shook her head sadly as she read about the famine.

sad•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

sad  (sad), adj., sad•der, sad•dest. 

1. affected by unhappiness or grief;
   sorrowful or mournful:
   to feel sad because a close friend has moved away.
2. expressive of or characterized by sorrow:
   sad looks; a sad song.
3. causing sorrow:
   a sad disappointment; sad news.
4. (of color) somber, dark, or dull;
   drab.
5. deplorably bad;
   sorry:
   a sad attempt.
6. [Obs.] firm or steadfast.

• bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English sæd grave, heavy, weary, origin, originally sated, full; cognate with German satt, Gothic saths full, satisfied; akin to Latin satis enough, satur sated, Greek hádēn enough. See satiate, saturate

sad′ly, adv. 
sad′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. unhappy, despondent, disconsolate, discouraged, gloomy, downcast, downhearted, depressed, dejected, melancholy.

Antonyms

• 1. happy.

sād  (säd), n. 

1. the 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

• Arabic

SAD, 

1. seasonal affective disorder.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sad / sæd/ adjective (sadder, saddest)

1. feeling sorrow; unhappy
2. causing, suggestive, or expressive of such feelings: a sad story
3. unfortunate; unsatisfactory; shabby; deplorable: her clothes were in a sad state
4. ludicrously contemptible; pathetic: he's a sad, boring little wimp

noun

pack a sad ⇒ to express sadness or displeasure strongly

Etymology: Old English sæd weary; related to Old Norse sathr, Gothic saths, Latin satur, satis enough

ˈsadly adverb

ˈsadness noun

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

SAD abbreviation

1. seasonal affective disorder