What does "sorrow" mean?
unhappiness, woe
Sorrow
/ˈsɒɹ.əʊ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: unhappiness, woe
- Grammar: sorrow is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: grief, sadness, ache, acute sadness.
- Useful contrasts: great joy, hedonic happiness, joyful affect.
- Usage evidence: Between astonishment and sorrow, she could not speak a word.
How to use "sorrow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sorrow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sorrow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sorrow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sorrow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sorrow" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grief" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sorrow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 unhappiness, woe uncountable
"But sorrow that is couch'd in seeming gladness Is like that mirth fate turns to sudden sadness."
- 2 something that causes great unhappiness wordnet
- 3 (usually in plural) An instance or cause of unhappiness. countable
"Parting is such sweet sorrow."
- 4 an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement wordnet
- 5 sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 the state of being sad wordnet
Verb
- 1 To feel or express grief. intransitive
"‘Sorrow not, sir,’ says he, ‘like those without hope.’"
- 2 feel grief wordnet
- 3 To feel grief over; to mourn, regret. transitive
"It is impossible to make a man naturally blind, to conceive that he seeth not; impossible to make him desire to see, and sorrow his defect."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"Between astonishment and sorrow, she could not speak a word."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sorrow"?
Common synonyms include: grief, sadness, ache, acute sadness, adversity, afflict.
How do you use "sorrow" in a sentence?
Between astonishment and sorrow, she could not speak a word.
How do you pronounce "sorrow"?
Pronounced /ˈsɒɹ.əʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sorwe, sorow, sorewe, from Old English sorg, sorh (“care, anxiety, sorrow, grief”), from Proto-West Germanic *sorgu, from Proto-Germanic *surgō (compare West Frisian soarch, Dutch zorg, German Sorge, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian sorg), from Proto-Indo-European *swergʰ- (“watch over, worry; be ill, suffer”) (compare Old Irish serg (“sickness”), Tocharian B sark (“sickness”), Lithuanian sirgti (“be sick”), Sanskrit सूर्क्षति (sū́rkṣati, “worry”). Despite the similarity in form and meaning, not historically related to sorry and sore.
Etymology 2
Probably a calque of German Sorge (“sorrow”).