1
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
one more sorry stunt like that and you'll be fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
we have sorry news to report tonight
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3
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
the ragtag circus was a sorry spectacle indeed
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4
as in ashamed
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
she's genuinely sorry for hurting his feelings
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5
as in unhappy
feeling unhappiness
was sorry to see the family farm being sold
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6
as in heartbroken
expressing or suggesting mourning
those sorry rituals that we go through when somebody dies are not for the dead but for the living
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7
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
some sorry wretch had the task of putting all of those files back in order
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sorry
Many of today’s official Disney clothes might actually be (ugh, sorry) chic.
—
Faran Krentcil, InStyle, 31 Dec. 2025
Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos rolled through Aspen this week on their trusty steed—sorry, private jet—to celebrate Sánchez Bezos’s 56th birthday.
—Vogue, 22 Dec. 2025
Despite the chaos, the years of legal battles, the financial strain and the relentless grind of single fatherhood, Arnold refuses to feel sorry for himself.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
River, tree, sorry, adder, stink, future, plughole.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sorry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sorry
Adjective
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His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.—
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Your ultra-lame social media posts (with awful production values) don’t cut it by a Colorado mile high.—
Adjective
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In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
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Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
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Add the pathetic reality that Illinois is the very definition of unfriendliness for business development and job creation, and the only thing Pritzker and his accomplices can campaign on is the vilification of Trump, facts be damned.—
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There are solutions to Joe Biden’s failing and pathetic attempts to raise money to build a presidential library.—
Adjective
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Krawiec said those services help her focus on school without feeling ashamed for asking for help.—
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Sarah’s sister, the missing girl’s mother, prays with desperate hope for her own child, yet feels ashamed—a heartbreakingly human reaction in the face of such horror.—
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Adjective
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After Anna disappeared, Alice was heartbroken.—
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A day after the shooting, Chez’s heartbroken parents proclaimed at a press conference outside the 101st Precinct stationhouse in Far Rockaway that their son posed no threat.—
Adjective
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Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
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In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Adjective
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Here in his pitiful, mini Gaza where reasoning and logic struggle futilely.—
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Instead Tripp comes across as simultaneously pitiful and predatory, a fine line that Paulson was able to walk straight to the year-round Christmas store.—
Cite this Entry
“Sorry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sorry. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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