sad

sad

sad S2 W3 /sæd/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative sadder, superlative saddest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑sadness, ↑saddo; adjective: ↑sad, ↑saddening; verb: ↑sadden; adverb: ↑sadly]
[Language: Old English; Origin: sæd 'having had enough']
1. FEELING UNHAPPY not happy, especially because something unpleasant has happened OPP happy
feel/look/sound sad
Dad looked sad and worried as he read the letter.
be sad to hear/see/read etc something
I was very sad to hear that he had died.
sad that
Lilly felt sad that Christmas was over.
sad about
I was sad about the friends I was leaving behind.
sad smile/face/expression etc
There was such a sad look in her eyes.
2. MAKING YOU UNHAPPY a sad event, situation etc makes you feel unhappy:
Sorry to hear the sad news.
It was a sad case. The boy ended up in prison.
sad story/song/film etc
a story with a sad ending
it is sad to see/hear etc something
It was sad to see them arguing.
sad time/day/moment etc
This is a sad day for us all.
3. NOT SATISFACTORY very bad or unacceptable:
There aren’t enough teachers, which is a sad state of affairs (=bad situation).
it’s sad that/when/if ...
It’s sad if people are too afraid to go out alone at night.
the sad fact is (that) spoken:
The sad fact is that prejudice still exists.
Sad to say (=unfortunately), the country is heading towards civil war.
4. LONELY a sad person has a dull, unhappy, or lonely life:
She’s a sad character – without any friends at all.
5. BORING informal boring or not deserving any respect:
Stay in on Saturday night? What a sad idea!
6. sadder and/but wiser having learned something from an unpleasant experience:
He came out of the relationship sadder but wiser.
⇨ ↑sadness
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ nouns
▪ a sad story/song/film He had listened patiently to his client’s sad story about her awful life.
▪ sad news It was with great shock that we heard the sad news that he had died.
▪ a sad fact It’s a sad fact that a significant amount of crime is committed by young people.
▪ the sad truth The sad truth is that the new law will not deter criminals.
▪ a sad day/time I’m really disappointed that this happened. It’s a sad day for football.
▪ a sad case Take the sad case of Gary Marsh, who was badly injured during a match.
▪ a sad ending The film has a sad ending.
▪ the sad thing (=the sad part of a situation) The sad thing is that there’s little we can do about the situation now.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ sad not happy: She felt sad as she waved goodbye. | a sad and lonely figure | a sad face | a sad film
▪ unhappy sad, especially for a long time – used about people and periods of time: I was unhappy at school. | an unhappy childhood | He’s obviously a deeply unhappy person.
▪ homesick [not before noun] sad because you are away from your home, family, and friends: She sometimes felt homesick when she first arrived in Japan.
▪ down [not before noun] informal feeling sad for a few hours or days, often for no reason: Whenever I’m feeling down, I go out and buy myself some new clothes. | She’s been kind of down since that argument with Jack.
▪ gloomy looking or sounding sad and without hope – used about people, places, and weather: Why are you all looking so gloomy? | the gloomy immigration office | a gloomy afternoon in February
▪ dejected/downcast looking sad and disappointed because something you hoped for did not happen: ‘I didn’t pass,’ he said, looking dejected. | a downcast expression | He was understandably downcast after the team’s loss.
▪ mournful especially literary looking or sounding sad: the dog’s big mournful eyes | the mournful sound of the church bell | a mournful expression
▪ glum looking sad and disappointed: Don’t look so glum! Maybe you’ll win next time. | They sat in glum silence.
▪ wistful especially literary looking a little sad and thoughtful, because you wish that the situation was different: She looked at him with a wistful smile.
■ very sad
▪ miserable very sad, especially because you are lonely, cold, ill, or upset – used about people and periods of time: I felt miserable and blamed myself for what had happened. | Her life was miserable. | I had a miserable time at college.
▪ depressed very sad and without hope for a long time, because things are wrong in your life or because of a medical condition: After his wife left him, he became depressed and refused to talk to anyone.
▪ heartbroken extremely sad because of something that has happened to someone or something that you care about very much: She was heartbroken when her dog died.
▪ distressed/distraught very upset because of something bad that has happened, so that you cannot think clearly: She was very distressed when he left her. | The boy’s hospital bed was surrounded by distraught relatives.
▪ devastated [not before noun] extremely sad and shocked, because something very bad has happened: The whole town was devastated by the tragedy.
■ COLLOCATIONS CHECK
▪ sad person/expression/story/song/film
▪ unhappy person/expression/childhood/marriage
▪ gloomy person/expression/place/weather
▪ dejected/downcast person/expression
▪ mournful sound/eyes/expression