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sadly

adverb
sad·​ly | \ ˈsad-lÄ“ How to pronounce sadly (audio) \

Definition of sadly

1 : in a sad manner : in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness They spoke sadly of their loss. She shook her head sadly. He walked away sadly.
2 : in a way that causes feelings of sadness, disappointment, or regret a garden that has been sadly neglected for many years What was top-of-the-line when the house was built was by now sadly outdated.— Sue Grafton The Greek populations of these great cities are now sadly diminished or gone altogether, leaving them much duller places.— Robert Fox
3 : unfortunately —used to say that something is sad, unfortunate, or regrettable Sadly, you can upload a perfectly working website today and return a few months later to find that many of its external links have died off.— Matthew MacDonaldIs there a way to get the virus out of an afflicted cat's system? "Sadly, no," says Dr. [James] Richards.— Tom Ewing

First Known Use of sadly

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for sadly

sadly

adverb
How to pronounce sadly (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of sadly

: in a way that shows sadness or unhappiness
: in a way that causes feeling of sadness, disappointment, regret, etc.

See the full definition for sadly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on sadly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sadly

Nglish: Translation of sadly for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of sadly for Arabic Speakers

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