sadness
gb/sˈædnəs/ us/sˈædnəs/
A2
English
~ 5200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
state
1
feeling of being unhappy or sorrowful
A bad feeling when you are not happy, often because something is wrong or you lost something or someone.
Usage pattern:
feel [sadness] about [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I am a sadness"* or *"I have a sadness"* instead of using the adjective *"sad"* or a more natural phrase. Correct uses include *"I am sad"*, *"I feel sadness"*, or *"I feel sad"*. Another mistake is treating *"sadness"* as usually countable; we normally say *"a lot of sadness"* rather than *"many sadnesses"*.
Synonyms
unhappiness (Very close in meaning, but slightly broader; can include general dissatisfaction, not only emotional pain.)
|
sorrow (Often suggests sadness related to loss or something serious or painful.)
|
grief (A very strong and deep kind of sadness, especially after someone dies.)
Antonyms
happiness (The general state of feeling good and pleased, the opposite emotional state of sadness.)
|
joy (A strong and often sudden feeling of great happiness, the emotional opposite of deep sadness.)
Collocations
deep sadness
|feel sadness
|overcome with sadness
|a wave of sadness
|tears of sadness
|filled with sadness
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She felt a deep sadness after her friend moved away.
- There was a quiet sadness in his eyes when he talked about his childhood.
- His sudden death brought great sadness to the whole community.
- Writing about her feelings helped her deal with her sadness.
- The news of the accident filled them with sadness and shock.
Learner examples
- I feel sadness when I think about my old home.
- There is a lot of sadness in that movie.
- Her face showed sadness when she said goodbye.
- The children’s sadness was clear after the game was canceled.
- He tried to hide his sadness from his family.
Noun
B2
property
2
sad or depressing quality of something
A feeling or mood in a place, event, or thing that makes people feel sad.
Usage pattern:
the sadness of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the personal feeling of sadness and use personal subjects unnaturally, for example *"My sadness of the city"* instead of *"the sadness of the city"*. In this sense, *"sadness"* usually describes the atmosphere or quality of something, not what a person directly feels.
Synonyms
melancholy (Often used for a gentle or thoughtful sadness in atmosphere, scenes, or music.)
|
gloom (Emphasizes a dark, heavy, or depressing mood in a place or situation.)
|
bleakness (Highlights a cold, empty, or hopeless quality rather than personal emotion.)
Antonyms
cheerfulness (Describes a bright, happy quality in a place, situation, or atmosphere.)
|
brightness (Can refer to both light and a positive, lively feeling that contrasts with sadness.)
Collocations
the sadness of [something]
|a touch of sadness
|a hint of sadness
|an air of sadness
|a note of sadness
|a quiet sadness
Themes
emotions
|art
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The sadness of the empty playground was hard to ignore.
- There is a quiet sadness in the music that makes it beautiful.
- The film captures the sadness of life in a war-torn city.
- Despite the celebration, he heard a note of sadness in her voice.
- The old photographs have a certain sadness that is strangely comforting.
Learner examples
- The sadness of the story stays in your mind.
- There is an air of sadness in this old house.
- I can hear a little sadness in his song.
- The painting shows the sadness of life in the city.
- Her smile had a touch of sadness today.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sadness
IPA
GB/sˈædnəs/
US/sˈædnəs/
Syllables & stress
sad - ness (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (sad)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sadness
- Plural: sadness
Word family
Expressions
a touch of sadness
1/ə tˈʌt͡ʃ əv sˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
small amount of sadness present
A small amount of sadness in someone’s face, voice, or in a place or event.
Examples
- There was a touch of sadness in her smile.
- The party was fun, but there was a touch of sadness because Tom was leaving.
- His voice had a touch of sadness when he spoke about the past.
a wave of sadness
1/ə wˈeɪv əv sˈædnəs/
idiom
sudden strong sadness
A sudden, strong feeling of sadness that seems to come all at once.
Examples
- A wave of sadness hit her when she heard the song.
- He felt a wave of sadness as the train pulled away.
- Sometimes a wave of sadness comes over me for no clear reason.
deep sadness
1/dˈip sˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
very strong form of sadness
A very strong kind of sadness that you feel strongly inside.
Examples
- He felt deep sadness after losing his job.
- Her deep sadness was clear to everyone.
- The book left me with a deep sadness that lasted for days.
overcome with sadness
1/ˈoʊvɚkˌʌm wˈɪθ sˈædnəs/
idiom
completely filled by sadness
To feel so much sadness that you almost cannot think or act normally.
Examples
- She was overcome with sadness when she saw the damage to her home.
- He seemed overcome with sadness during the funeral.
- I was overcome with sadness and could not speak.
tears of sadness
1/tˈɪɹz əv sˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
tears caused by sadness
Tears that someone cries because they feel sad.
Examples
- Her eyes were full of tears of sadness.
- He could not hide his tears of sadness at the airport.
- The movie brought tears of sadness to the audience.
with great sadness
1/wˈɪθ ɡɹˈeɪt sˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
formal
formal way to announce sad news
A formal way to start bad or painful news, showing very strong sadness.
Examples
- It is with great sadness that we announce his death.
- The company said, with great sadness, that the factory would close.
- With great sadness, she told the children that their pet had died.
with sadness
1/wˈɪθ sˈædnəs/
fixed phrase
in a sad emotional state
Used to say that someone does or says something while feeling sad.
Examples
- She looked at the old house with sadness.
- He spoke with sadness about his time in the hospital.
- We remember those days with sadness but also with love.