Synonyms of sadness
41 similar words · 1 opposite word
Another word for sadness is ill-being. Other synonyms of sadness are depression, wrong, melancholy, misery and sorrow. The opposite of sadness is happiness.
Synonyms and similar words for sadness
nounThe state or emotion of being sad.
- forlornnessThe state or characteristic of being forlorn; sadness; loneliness.
- melancholyGreat sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
nounAn event in one's life that causes sadness.
- misfortune
- woeGreat sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.
- affliction
- aggrievanceOppression; hardship; grievance.
- distressA cause of such discomfort.
- griefEmotional pain, generally arising from misfortune, significant personal loss, bereavement, misconduct of oneself or...
- grievanceSomething which causes grief.
- hardshipA burden, a source of difficulty that could impose a barrier.
- miseryGreat unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
- sorrowUnhappiness, woe.
- undelightThe condition or feeling of lacking delight; unhappiness or displeasure.
- vexationA source of mental distress or trouble; an affliction, a woe; also, a source of annoyance or irritation; an annoyance...
- wrongAn instance of wronging someone (sometimes with possessive to indicate the wrongdoer).
- ruth obsoleteMatter for regret or sorrow; calamity, ruin; also, occasion for regret or sorrow; (countable) an instance of this; a...
nounMore synonyms
- bluenessMelancholy.
- tristesse literarySadness.
- mirthlessLacking mirth; devoid of joy; sad.
- bluesA feeling of sadness or depression.
- crestfallennessThe quality of being crestfallen.
- dejectionA state of melancholy or depression; low spirits, the blues.
- depressionA state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future...
- despondencyA feeling of depression or disheartenment.
- dolefulnessThe characteristic of being doleful; sadness.
- downheartednessThe characteristic of being downhearted; sadness.
- ill-beingThe state of being ill, unhealthy, or unhappy; misery; miserableness.
- infelicity
- melancholiaDeep sadness or gloom; melancholy.
- mourn literarySorrow, grief.
- sorrowfulnessThe quality or state of sorrow; sadness.
- tristfulnessSadness; sorrow; melancholy.
- unhappinessThe feeling of not being happy.
- woefareDiscontentment; sorrow; unhappiness.
- wretchednessAn unhappy state of mental or physical suffering.
- drearihead obsoleteSadness; dreariness.
- heartsore rareHeartache, misery, grief.
- mishappiness obsoleteUnhappiness; wretchedness; misery.
- prosternation obsoleteDejection; depression.
- regret obsolete
- rue archaic, dialectalSorrow; repentance; regret.
Opposite of sadness
nounMore antonyms
- happinessThe emotion of being happy; joy; elation.
Meaning of sadness
- noun The state or emotion of being sad.
- noun An event in one's life that causes sadness.
sadness in other languages
Questions about synonyms of sadness
- What is another word for sadness?
- Sadness has 41 synonyms on Word.ws, such as ill-being, depression, wrong, melancholy, misery, sorrow, unhappiness and grief.
- What is the opposite of sadness?
- The opposite of sadness is happiness.
- What does sadness mean?
- Sadness means the state or emotion of being sad.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sadness (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of sadness.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/sadness. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.