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View synonyms for sorrow

sorrow

[ sor-oh, sawr-oh ]

noun

  1. distress caused by loss, affliction, disappointment, etc.; grief, sadness, or regret.
  2. a cause or occasion of grief or regret, as an affliction, a misfortune, or trouble:

    His first sorrow was the bank failure.

    Synonyms: adversity

  3. the expression of grief, sadness, disappointment, or the like:

    muffled sorrow.



verb (used without object)

  1. to feel sorrow; grieve.

    Synonyms: lament, mourn

sorrow

/ ˈsɒrəʊ /

noun

  1. the characteristic feeling of sadness, grief, or regret associated with loss, bereavement, sympathy for another's suffering, for an injury done, etc
  2. a particular cause or source of regret, grief, etc
  3. Also calledsorrowing the outward expression of grief or sadness
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to mourn or grieve
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈsorrowfully, adverb
  • ˈsorrowfulness, noun
  • ˈsorrowful, adjective
  • ˈsorrower, noun
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Other Words From

  • sorrow·er noun
  • sorrow·less adjective
  • un·sorrow·ing adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow1

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sorg; cognate with German Sorge, Dutch zorg, Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga; (verb) Middle English sorwen, Old English sorgian; cognate with Old High German sorgôn
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sorrow1

Old English sorg; related to Old Norse sorg, Gothic saurga, Old High German sworga
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Idioms and Phrases

see drown one's sorrows ; more in sorrow than in anger .
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Synonym Study

Sorrow, distress, grief, misery, woe imply bitter suffering, especially as caused by loss or misfortune. Sorrow is the most general term. Grief is keen suffering, especially for a particular reason. Distress implies anxiety, anguish, or acute suffering caused by the pressure of trouble or adversity. Misery suggests such great and unremitting pain or wretchedness of body or mind as crushes the spirit. Woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.
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Example Sentences

“With heartfelt sorrow, we share the news of the passing of our beloved actor and friend,” she said.

“It would have been much easier for me to lose my life there and then, than go through all this sorrow now,” she said.

From BBC

"As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse," he added.

From BBC

As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.

From BBC

But I will blame some of my sorrow over the outcome of this election on Karens.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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