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

Three or four weeks later, I would've been like, "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you OK?"

From Salon

“I’m sorry,” he told Garcia, who let then let the staff leave, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times

Bentancur also said sorry to South Korea forward Son, who said his team-mate would "not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive".

From BBC

“Please forgive me. I am so, so sorry,” it said.

From BBC

E.On said it was "deeply sorry" and that all identified affected customers have been contacted.

From BBC

Related Words

• apologetic
• contrite
• regretful
• remorseful
• touched