sorry

CEFRA1

/ˈsɒɹi/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Feeling regret or sadness about something done or experienced.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Grieved or saddened, especially by the loss of something or someone.

Examples

  • We're very sorry about the damage to your car.

  • Why are you sorry for something you haven't done?

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈsoːɹɪ]
  • [ˈsɔɹɪ]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Poor, pitifully sad or regrettable.

  2. Regretful or apologetic for one's actions.

  3. Pathetic; contemptibly inadequate.

More examples

In context

  • I'm sorry, I can't stay long.

  • I am sorry I stepped on your toes. It was an accident.

  • I feel sorry for you, about your exam results.

Synonyms

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English sory, from Old English sāriġ (“feeling or expressing grief, sorry, grieved, sorrowful, sad, mournful, bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *sairag, from Proto-Germanic *sairagaz (“sad”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂yro (“hard, rough, painful”). Cognate with Scots sairie (“sad, grieved”), Saterland Frisian seerich (“sore, inflamed”), West Frisian searich (“sad, sorry”), Low German serig (“sick, scabby”), German dialectal sehrig (“sore, sad, painful”), Swedish sårig. By surface analysis, sor(e) + -y. Unrelated to sorrow despite the similarity in form and meaning.