Sad

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /sæd/

Definitions

1. Feeling unhappy or sorrowful, often in response to loss, disappointment, or unfortunate circumstances
2. Experiencing a state of distress or unhappiness, frequently stemming from loss, disappointment, or unfavorable events
3. Characterized by feelings of sorrow or dejection, often resulting from adverse situations or emotional setbacks

Etymology: The English "sad" originally meant something quite different from "unhappy." Its earliest sense was "sated" or "full," as in having eaten or drunk enough, and the same idea survives in its Dutch cognate "zat," still used for "full" or "sated." The meaning moved from satisfied fullness to a sense of being weighed down or heavy-hearted, and from there to the grief it describes today. Its relatives are found across the North Sea: West Frisian "sêd," Saterland Frisian "sääd," and Low German "satt," which is also the German word for "full" or "satisfied." Those languages preserve the older sense of the root more plainly than English does.

Synonyms: unhappy, sorrowful, dejected, dismal, mournful

Antonyms: happy, joyful, cheerful, elated, content