7/28/2019 Sadness 111

1/9

SADNESS

WORDS EXPRESSING SADNESS

1) FEELING SAD OR UNHAPPY

SAD: not happy, especially when you are thinking about something unpleasant thathappened to you or to someone else, or when a happy time is ending (adj. Not. Usu. Beforea noun): Helen felt very sad as she said goodbye to him for the last time. - It alwaysmakes me sad when I thinK about those poor people who have nowhere to live.

UNHAPPY: 1) not happy; sad: An unhappy face/childhood.2) (about, at) not satisfied orcomfortable in the mind; uneasy: We are unhappy about/at the way the press has treatedthis incident. 3) (fml) unsuitable: an unhappy remark/choice of colours. 4) unlucky: Anunhappy coincidence.UNHAPPINESS:NounHAPPILY: Adverb. Any situation one does not enjoy at all.DESPERATELY UNHAPPY: In the movie, She plays a woman who is desperatelyunhappy with her wasted life.- He shrugged his shoulders unhappily and told her to mindher own business.MISERABLE: Extremely unhappy, esp. Because you are lonely, hungry, cold, etc.: Thecold and miserable survivors set among the wreckage, unable to believe what had

happened.MISERABLY: (Adv) He shook his head miserably, the tears pouring down his cheeks.

HOMESICK: Unhappy because you are away from home and wish you were at home withyour family and friends: Katy was very homesick during her year in America. - We spentmuch of our time comforting homesick children at the beginning of Summer Camp.To be homesick for: They were too excited by the thought of adventure to be homesickfor their mothers. Homesickness (N - U): Some of the young soldiers suffered fromhomesickness at first.

2) FEELING SAD FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH

YOUR LIFE

DEPRESSED: Feeling very unhappy for a long time, so that you have no physical energyand no hope for the future (adj. Not usu. Before noun): My sisters been feeling reallydepressed since she lost her job. - I need something to occupy my mind. I get depressed ifI have nothing to do.

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

2/9

DEPRESSED ABOUT: (N - U) She quarrelled with her boyfriend and was depressed aboutit for weeks afterwards.

LOW / DOWN: Informal words meaning unhappy and without much hope for the future,especially because something bad has happened to you (adj. Not before noun): Johns

pretty low at the moment, his business is losing money. - He is been feeling down since he

failed his driving test for the fifth time.Low-spirited

3) WORDS FOR DESCRIBING AN OCCASION OR A TIME IN SOMEONES LIFEWHEN THEY FEEL SAD OR UNHAPPY

SAD: Sad time / occasion / day / moment, etc. (=when you feel sad, esp. Becausesomeone you love has died or because a happy time is ending), (adj. Only before noun):The day her mother died was one of the saddest days of her life. - The years after theword were a sad time for our family. We all missed father terribly.

UNHAPPY: Unhappy childhood / marriage / life / Year / etc. (=When you are unhappybecause you are in an unpleasant situation that you do not enjoy): My Childhood was

particularly unhappy because my parents divorced when I was nine years old.

MISERABLE: A time that is miserable is one when you are extremely unhappy becauseyou are in a very unpleasant or uncomfortable situation: As a sailor he spent manymiserable hours being seasick. - Factory workers during the 18 th century led miserablelives.

4) WORDS FOR DESCRIBING SOMEONE WHO LOOKS SAD OR UNHAPPY

DEJECTED: Someone who es dejected shows by the expression on their face and bytheir lack of energy that they are very unhappy, esp. When they are disappointed aboutsomething: He looked utterly dejected when she told him hed failed again.

DOWNCAST: Sad and disappointed, in a way that is noticeable from the expression onyour face and your behaviour: He seems very downcast at the moment. He misses Jennyterribly.

WISTFUL: Someone who looks Wistful has a sad and thoughtful expression on their face,esp. Because they are thinking about the past and wishing things were different now: Shelooked at them with a wistful smile. - Simons face grew wistful as he recalled the happydays of his youth.

WISTFULY: (adv) Writing the letter, she dreamed wistfully of her hometown.

GLUM: Someone who is glum shows by the expression on their face that they are veryunhappy and do not have much hope for the future: I had to go and cheer her up, Shelooked so glum. - The doctor looked glum. - Bad news, Im afraid - why the glum face?Things cant be that bad.GLUMLY: (adv) She sat staring glumly at the door, Ill never see him again.

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

3/9

5) EXTREMELY SAD, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE HASDIED OR LET YOU

BROKEN-HEARTED / HEARTBROKEN: Extremely sad because you have been deeplyupset by something that has happened: When her parents separated she was heartbroken

Broken-hearted fans camped outside the stars house when he announced the end of hiscareer.

INCONSOLABLE: So sad that it is impossible for anyone to comfort you, esp. Because youhave been deeply upset by the death of someone you love (adj. Not usu. Before noun):After the death of her baby, she was inconsolable. Poor Doris was inconsolable. Howcould her husband walk out on her like that?

DESOLATE: Extremely sad esp. Because you are alone and lonely: She walked slowlyacross the courtyard, a lonely and desolate figure. He was really desolate when his wifedied.

6) TO FEEL SAD BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS DIED, AND TO SHOW THIS IN THEWAY YOU BEHAVE PUBLICLY, THE CLOTHES YOU WEAR, ETC.

GRIEVE: To feel extremely sad because someone that you love has died (V I/T Not inpassive)

- GRIEVE FOR: Millet continued to grieve for his wife many years after her death.

MOURN: To show how sad you are that someone you love has died (V I/T):All theneighbours and relations who had come to mourn stood around the coffin.

- MOURN FOR: They mourned for their dead children, killed during the war.

7) TO FEEL UNHAPPY AND TO PITY YOURSELF, IN A WAY THAT OTHER PEOPLEFIND ANNOYING

MOPE: To feel very unhappy and pity yourself so that you have no interest in anything andno energy to do anything (V I): Dont just lie there moping. Do something with your life!

- MOPE AROUND / ABOUT: (= go around a place moping) Hes not even attemptingto look for a job, he just mopes around the house all day. = HANG AROUND /

ABOUT

WALLOW IN: Wallow in self-pity / despair / misery / etc. (= keep thinking about how

unhappy you are, because you seem to enjoy pitying yourself) (V-T Not in passive): Shespent days wallowing in self-pity and defeat and I got angry.

SELF-PITY: The feeling you have when you feel sorry for yourself because you think youare very unfortunate or that you have been treated unfairly (N-U): In moments of self-pityshe would plan her own death. Full of self-pity, he considered how cruelly fate hadtreated him.

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

4/9

8) WORDS FOR DESCRIBING SOMEONE WHO OFTEN FEELS OR LOOKS VERY SAD

GLOOMY: Someone who is gloomy feels and looks unhappy because thety think there isnothing to be happy (about) (adj.): The doctor was a tall, gloomy Scotsman, who had adepressing effect on his patients. When I saw their gloomy faces, I knew that something

was wrong.GLOOMILY: (ADV) Things always go wrong for me, he said gloomily.

MISERABLE: Someone who is miserable always seems unhappy and makes otherpeople feel unhappy : What do you mean youre not coming to the Christmas party! Dontbe so miserable. Shes a miserable person to have around the office, she never smilesor says hello to anyone.MISERY: (NOUN)An informal British word: if you call someone a misery, you mean thatthey are always complaining and they never enjoy anything (n, sg.): Stop grumbling, youold misery. Dont invite her to the party: shes such a misery.

MOROSE: (ADJ) Someone who is morose behaves in an unhappy, bad tempered way, and

does not speak much to other people.

9) WORDS FOR DESCRIBING SOMETHING SUCH AS A STORY, FILM, TUNE, ORPIECE OF NEWS THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SAD

SAD: What a sad story A meeting was called to announce the sad news that the schoolwould be closing down.SADLY: (ADV)The film ended very sadly. Everyone in the cinema was crying.

DEPRESSING: Making you feel sad and unhappy about life, esp. so that you feel lesshopeful about the future: I admire Kafka as a writer, but I find his novels terribly

depressing. Its so depressing the way no one seems to care whats happening to thiscountry.

PLAINTIVE: (ADJ) A sound that is plaintive is a high sound that sounds like the voice ofsomeone who is sad or crying for help: I could hear someone playing a plaintive tune onthe guitar. The plaintive cry of a seagull.PLAINTIVELY: (ADV)The baby was crying plaintively.

MOURNFUL: (ADJ) A sound or voice that is mournful sounds as if it comes from someonewho is very sad: I could hear the slow, mournful music of the bagpipes. His voicesounded so mournful and so miserable that tears came into her eyes.MOURNFULLY: (ADV) They could hear the dogs howling mournfully across the hills.

10) WORDS FOR DESCRIBING A PLACE OR SITUATION IN WHICH IT IS DIFFICULTTO FEEL HAPPY OR HOPEFUL

DISMAL: (ADJ) The prison cells were dark dismal places. It was dismal living in Francefor a year, with all my friends still in England. A grey November afternoon dismal andcold.DISMALLY: (ADV)The sound echoed dismally through the empty streets.

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

5/9

DEPRESSING: (ADJ)A place or situation that is depressing makes you feel that life is sad,unpleasant, and without purpose: The town was a depressing place with its dirty streetsand grey concrete buildings. Theres nothing more depressing than spending Christmasalone.DEPRESSINGLY: (ADV) The work was depressingly monotonous.

DREARY: (ADJ) A place, activity or time that is dreary is one in which you feel unhappy andbored: This room is so dreary. You really ought to brighten it up a little. One drearywinters day I suddenly decided to leave and go and live in Jamaica.

BLEAK: (ADJ) A place or situation that is bleak is one in which theres nothing to make youfeel cheerful, esp. because its cold and unattractive: The wild landscape was bleak andbare. The high-rise office towers stood bleak and isolated on the outskirts of London.

CHEERLESS: (ADJ) A place or a kind of weather that is cheerless is cold and dull, so that itis impossible to feel happy or comfortable: They were damp cheerless rooms, with little

furniture. The weather was grey and cheerless with very low clouds and the prospect ofsnow.

11) WAYS OF SAYING THAT SOMETHING MAKES YOU FEEL SAD OR UNHAPPY

MAKE SOMEBODY SAD / UNHAPPY: (expression)If something is making you unhappyat work you should tell your boss about it. It always makes me sad when I see so manytalented people out of work.

SADDEN: (VERB) If a situation or event saddens someone, it makes them feel sad, esp.because they think that things like this should not happen (V-T)

- SADDEN SOMEBODY: The sight of all the kids fighting saddened her. We are

saddened by the fact that so many of our friends have deserted us.- IT SADDENS SBDY TO SEE / HEAR / THINK / ETC.: It saddens me to think that

hospitals all over the country are so short of staff.

TO UPSET: (VERB) To make somebody suddenly feel very unhappy, esp. so that theywant to cry (V-T).

- UPSET SOMEBODY: Please dont cry. I didnt mean to upset you. The idea ofhaving to give up his job seemed to upset him more than we thought it would.

- IT UPSET SBDY TO SEE / HEAR / THINK / ETC. : She is very emotional. It upsetsher a great deal to hear about other peoples problems.

DEPRESS: (VERB) To make someone feel extremely sad or unhappy, esp. so that they

feel that life is without hope or purpose (V-T).- DEPRESS SOMEBODY: I dont read the newspapers because it depresses me too

much. I decided to leave. The place was beginning to depress me.- IT DEPRESSES SBDY TO SEE / HEAR / THINK / ETC. : It depresses me to think

that only five years ago I was earning twice as much as I do now.

GET SOMEBODY DOWN: (V PH) An informal expression meaning to gradually makesomeone feel unhappy and tired over a period of time: I know you have problems, but dont

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

6/9

let them get you down. The soldiers said that it was the monotony of army life that gotthem down.

BREAK SOMEBODYS HEART: (expression) To upset someone very much, esp. after alove affair ends up unhappily or their hopes for you are destroyed: Shes a beautiful girl, butshes cruel and one day shell break your heart.

- IT BREAKS SBDYS HEART: Itll break your mothers heart when she finds outyouve been arrested.

- IT BREAKS SBDYS HEART TO SEE / HEAR / THINK / ETC.: It breaks my heartto see the children starving.

HeartbreakingHeartrending expressionDRIVE SOMEBODY TO DESPAIR: (expression) to make someone feel very unhappy andwithout hope, esp. because they think that they have been badly treated: The wholeatmosphere at the boarding school drove me to despair, I just couldnt understand why my

parents made me stay there. Matthew, an orphan, was driven to despair by his unclesconstant bullying.

12) A SAD FEELING

SADNESS: (NOUN) After his mothers death, Charles felt a great sense of sadness andloss. The old mans eyes were full of pain and sadness as he watched them walk away.

UNHAPPINESS: (NOUN) The feeling of being unhappy, esp. because you are in a difficultor unpleasant situation that you do not enjoy at all (N U): If you marry that awful man, youwill have nothing but unhappiness. Theres no doubt that personal unhappinesscontributes to ill health. Youve no idea what unhappiness you cause your parents whenyou say that you want to leave home.

MISERY: (NOUN) Great unhappiness, caused esp. by living or working in very badconditions (N-U): The freezing cold weather increased the misery of the retreating army. She didnt seem to be affected by the misery of having to work in such terrible conditions.

SORROW: (NOUN) The feeling of being very sad, esp. because someone has died orbecause terrible things have happened to you (N-U): She was full of sorrow at the lost ofher child. He came to express his sorrow and to offer his help in organizing the funeral.

GRIEF: (NOUN) Great sadness that you feel when someone you love has died (N-U): Theentire family was overwhelmed with griefat the death of their father. They say he hasbeen shattered by griefand refuses to leave the side of her coffin.

GLOOM: (NOUN) The feeling of being very unhappy because of something that hashappened, esp. so that you feel that there is no hope for the future (N-U): When the newsof the defeat was announced, an awful gloom descended over everyone. There was anote of gloom and pessimism in the air.

DEPRESSION: (NOUN) Extreme unhappiness and worry, which causes loss of energy andinterest in life, and sometimes becomes a mental illness (N-U).

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

7/9

HEARTACHE: (NOUN)A feeling of great unhappiness and anxiety, often continuing over along period and usu. Caused by personal or family problems (N-U): Being unpopular atschool can cause real heartache to children of any age. If she had simply called them onthe phone, her parents would have been spared the heartache theyve been going through.

GRIEF-STRICKEN: Grieving greatly: His family were grief-stricken at his death.

13) WHAT YOU SAY TO TELL SOMEONE NOT TO BE SAD

CHEER UP: (V PH) You say Cheer up! to someone who looks sad, when you want themto become more cheerful: Cheer up! Dont forget tomorrows Saturday and you wont haveto work. Gosh, you do look gloomy. Have a drink with me and cheer up.Chin up

EXPRESSIONS AND IDIOMS RELATED TO SADNESS

BE FED UP: An informal British expression meaning to be unhappy and dissatisfiedbecause you do not like the situation that you are in and you wish it would change.

- BE FED UP WITH: Im fed up with this job. Its so boring. Toms getting prettyfed up with married life. He never goes out anymore.

- BE FED UP: It rained everyday of our holiday. We were thoroughly fed up.

TO DO SOMETHING WITH A HEAVY HEART: (expression) an expression used esp. instories: If you do something with a heavy heart, you feel very sad when you do it. I saida final farewell to my friends and set out homeward with a heavy heart. It was with aheavy heart that Philip sold his fathers watch.

TO BE DOWN IN THE DUMPS: An informal expression meaning to feel unhappy andwithout much interest in life, but usu. Not in a very serious or permanent way: Moms kindof down in the dumps at the moment, why dont you buy her something to cheer her up? Whenever youre feeling down in the dumps, you should come over and have a chat.

TO FEEL BLUE: (expression) An informal American expression meaning to feel sad orunhappy, often without any particular reason: Feeling blue? Dont know who to talk to?Phone Depression Hotline, 24 hours a day.

GRIEVE SOMEBODYS DEATH / LOSS: People must be allowed to grieve the loss of arelative for as long as they need to.

- GRIEVE: (VERB) It is no use grieving. It wont bring him back.

BE IN MORNING: (Expression) to show sadness and respect for someone who has died,by the way you behave publicly, the clothes you wear, etc.: The family was in mourningand refused to see anyone.

- BE IN MORNING FOR: The Queen appeared, dressed from head to toe in black inmourning for her husband.

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

8/9

BE OVERCOME WITH / BY SORROW / SADNESS: To prevent someone from being ableto act or think in the usual way: There have been times when Ive been so overcome withgrief and rage that Ive doubted my sanity.

TO GIVE WAY TO SORROW, FEELINGS OF SELF-PITY, ETC.: To allow oneself to showa sad feeling such as sorrow, grief, depression, etc.: He gave way to tears

TO BE IN ANGUISH OVER SOMETHING / SOMEBODY: She was in anguish over hermissing child.

AT A LOOSE END: (Feel) sad and depressed.

FEEL DOWN: To feel sad.

TAKE SOMETHING TO HEART: To feel the effect of something deeply: Come on! It was

just a joke. Dont take everything to heart.

KNOW WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES: To know about suffering or hardship through onesown experiences: I also have been young and poor my boy, so I know where the shoe

pinches.

BE MILES AWAY: Be day-dreaming; be thinking of something else instead of concentratingon the present situation, perhaps because of sadness or worriness: Ever since June hasbroken up with her boyfriend, she is miles away.

TO BEAR ONES CROSS: To bear suffering, affliction or annoyance. The suffering is usu.The fault of someone else: Susan really bears the cross with her alcoholic husband.

CRY ONES EYES OUT: Cry very much because of sadness: Little Susie cried her eyesout when her pet hamster died.

TEARS ROLL / RUN DOWN SBDYS CHEEKS: If tears roll down someones cheeks theyare crying, probably without making a sound: He stood silently, tears rolling down hischeeks, while the music played. She showed us the letter with tears running down hercheeks.

ExpressionsOnes eyes are brimming with tearsTo have a lump in ons throat

To be at a loss for wordsTo weep like a childTo sob like a child/ uncontrollably

To be tinged with sadnerss EG:Our joy was tinged withsadnessTo express/to show /to hide ones sadness

An air/ an aura of sadnessA feeling / a sense of sadness

7/28/2019 Sadness 111

9/9