sad panda
An unhappy or disappointed person.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He is a sad panda because his team lost the game.”
“When the coffee shop ran out of his favorite roast, he was a total sad panda.”
“The disappointed applicant became a sad panda upon realizing that his dream job had been offered to someone else.”
first recorded 20th c.
The term emerged in 1999, originating from "Sexual Harassment Panda," an episode of the animated comedy series South Park. The name belongs to a mascot character whose repeated failures to educate children on legal liability result in his signature expression of melancholy.
- 01
happy panda
A person who is happy and contented.
- 02
make someone's ears sad
To displease the ears of someone; to cause someone to hear music or sounds that are not to their liking.
- 03
sad drunk
A person who is gloomy or depressed when intoxicated, unable to retain reasonable control of their mental and emotional faculties.
Last updated August 10, 2026