Definition of "sad"

(heading) Emotionally negative.

1. Feeling sorrow; sorrowful, mournful.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • Firſt were we ſad, fearing you would not come, / Now ſadder that you come ſo vnprouided: […]

     c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene ii], page 219, column 2

   • […] Th’ Angelic Guards aſcended, mute and ſad […]

     1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […]; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, line 18

2. Appearing sorrowful.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • We need a sad man. Give us a sad man.” Tomo gave the look of a sad man, then followed with the body of a sad man. “That's it, more of that. can you manufacture a mole right here? Yes, a very ugly mole. Right here, on the chin. […]

     2010 February, Eric Rentschler, Itoh's Ghost‎, iUniverse, page 54

3. Causing sorrow; lamentable.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • The Great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, / For all their wars are merry and all their songs are sad.

     1911, G. K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse

   • The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.

     1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, page 249

4. Poor in quality, bad; shameful, deplorable; later, regrettable, poor.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • Heaven knows what cash he got, or blood he spilt, / A sad old fellow was he, if you please […].

     1819 July 15, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], canto II, stanza CXXVII, page 182

5. Of colours: dark, deep; later, sombre, dull.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • […] this is either uſed crude, and called ſulphur vive, and is of a ſadder colour; or after depuration, ſuch as we have in magdeleons or rols of a lighter yellow.

     1650, Thomas Browne, “Compendiously of Sundry Other Common Tenents, Concerning Minerall and Terreous Bodies, Which Examined, Prove Either False or Dubious”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], 2nd book, page 69

   • sad-coloured clothes

     1679, Izaak Walton, The Life of Bishop Robert Sanderson

   • Woad, or wade, is used by the dyers to lay the foundation of many colours, especially all sad colours.

     1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], published 1708

(obsolete) Sated, having had one's fill; satisfied, weary.

(obsolete) Steadfast, valiant.  quotations

(obsolete) Dignified, serious, grave.  quotations

(obsolete) Naughty; troublesome; wicked.  quotations

(slang) Unfashionable; socially inadequate or undesirable.

(dialect) Soggy (to refer to pastries).  examples

(obsolete) Heavy; weighty; ponderous; close; hard.  quotations

(transitive, archaic) To make melancholy; to sadden or grieve (someone).  quotations

Alternative form of saad (“Arabic letter”)  examples