Word Explorer

Sorry

/ˈsɔɹi/

The act of saying sorry; an apology.

📖 Definitions of "Sorry"

noun

adjective

1
(of a person) Regretful for an action; grieved or saddened, especially by the loss of something or someone.
"I am sorry I stepped on your toes. It was an accident."
2
Poor, pitifully sad or regrettable.
"The storm left his garden in a sorry state."
3
Pathetic and inferior to the point of causing others disgust.
"Bob is a sorry excuse for a football player."

interjection

1
Expresses regret, remorse, or sorrow.
"Sorry! I didn't see that you were on the phone."
2
Used as a request for someone to repeat something not heard or understood clearly.
"Sorry? What was that? The phone cut out."
3
Used to correct oneself in speech.
"There are four — sorry, five — branches of the store locally."

30 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
compassionateverb	Having, feeling or showing compassion (to or toward someone).
contritenoun	Sincerely penitent or feeling regret or sorrow, especially for one’s own actions.
dismalnoun	Causing despair; gloomy and bleak.
deplorablenoun	Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad, wretched.
drabnoun	(by extension) A dull or uninteresting appearance or situation, unremarkable.
gloomynoun	Suffering from gloom; melancholy; dejected.
penitentnoun	Feeling pain or sorrow on account of one's sins or offenses; feeling sincere guilt.
pitiful	So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
lamentable	Causing sorrow, distress or regret; deplorable, pitiful or distressing.
rueful	Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.
sadverb	Feeling sorrow; sorrowful, mournful.
badnoun	Of low quality.
drearynoun	Drab; dark, colorless, or cheerless.
repentantnoun	Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.
remorseful	(of a person) Feeling or filled with remorse.
drearnoun	(poetic, literary) Dreary.
distressing	Causing distress; upsetting; distressful.
dingynoun	Shabby, squalid, uncared-for.
unhappynoun	Not happy; sad.
regretful	Sorrowful about what has been lost or done.
no-count	(idiomatic, slang, US) Of no value.
good-for-nothingnoun	A person of little worth or usefulness.
worthless	Having no worth or use; without value.
cheerless	Devoid of cheer; gloomy.
uncheerful	Not cheerful.

Words with the opposite meaning.

Word	Definition
unregretful	Not regretful; having no regrets.
unregretting	Not regretting.

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
penitent	Feeling pain or sorrow on account of one's sins or offenses; feeling sincere guilt.
contrite	Sincerely penitent or feeling regret or sorrow, especially for one’s own actions.
repentant	Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.
remorseful	(of a person) Feeling or filled with remorse.
regretful	Sorrowful about what has been lost or done.
compassionate	Having, feeling or showing compassion (to or toward someone).
rueful	Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way.
no-account	(US, British, colloquial) Of no value or merit; good-for-nothing; of no account.
no-count	(idiomatic, slang, US) Of no value.
bad	Of low quality.
pityingnoun	The act of one who pities.
worthless	Having no worth or use; without value.
good-for-nothing	(idiomatic) Useless; worthless.
no-good	(derogatory) Having no value, use or merit.
deplorable	Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad, wretched.
pitiful	So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
dismal	Causing despair; gloomy and bleak.
distressing	Causing distress; upsetting; distressful.
unhappy	Not happy; sad.
meritless	Without merit.