sorry

[ sor-ee, sawr-ee ]

adjective

, sor·ri·er, sor·ri·est.

1. feeling regret, compunction, sympathy, pity, etc.:

   to be sorry to leave one's friends; to be sorry for a remark; to be sorry for someone in trouble.

   Synonyms: pitying, sympathetic, regretful

   Antonyms: happy

2. regrettable or deplorable; unfortunate; tragic:

   a sorry situation; to come to a sorry end.

3. sorrowful, grieved, or sad:

   Was she sorry when her brother died?

   Synonyms: depressed, unhappy

4. associated with sorrow; suggestive of grief or suffering; melancholy; dismal.

   Synonyms: painful, mournful, grievous

5. wretched, poor, useless, or pitiful:

   a sorry horse.

   Synonyms: worthless, paltry, contemptible, abject, shabby

interjection

1. (used as a conventional apology or expression of regret):

   Sorry, you're misinformed. Did I bump you? Sorry.

sorry

/ ˈsɒrɪ /

adjective

1. usually postpositiveoften foll byfor feeling or expressing pity, sympathy, remorse, grief, or regret

   I feel sorry for him

2. pitiful, wretched, or deplorable

   a sorry sight

3. poor; paltry

   a sorry excuse

4. affected by sorrow; sad
5. causing sorrow or sadness

interjection

1. an exclamation expressing apology, used esp at the time of the misdemeanour, offence, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈsorrily, adverb
• ˈsorriness, noun

Other Words From

• sorri·ly adverb
• sorri·ness noun
• un·sorry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorry¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sārig; cognate with Low German sērig, Old High German sērag. See sore, -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorry¹

Old English sārig; related to Old High German sērag; see sore

Idioms and Phrases

see better safe than sorry .

Synonym Study

See wretched.

Example Sentences

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From Slate

On 29 October, McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski apologised for the outbreak, saying the firm was "sorry for what our customers experienced".

From BBC

Health Secretary Neil Gray has said he is sorry he did not go to a "wider range" of football matches after using ministerial cars to attend four Aberdeen games.

From BBC

The SNP MSP added: “I am a football fan. I follow Aberdeen. But I should not have allowed the impression to be given that this played any role in my engagements and I am sorry for my error.”

From BBC

We're sorry, but something went wrong while fetching your podcast feeds.

From Slate

Related Words

• apologetic
• contrite
• regretful
• remorseful
• touched