What does "sorry" mean?
Sorry: I am sorry for thee, friend; 't is the duke's pleasure. Shak. She entered, were he lief or sorry. Spenser.
Additional senses
- 2.Melancholy; dismal; gloomy; mournful. Spenser. All full of chirking was this sorry place. Chaucer.
- 3.Poor; mean; worthless; as, a sorry excuse. "With sorry grace." Chaucer. Cheeks of sorry grain will serve. Milton. Good fruit will sometimes grow on a sorry tree. Sir W. Scott.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00