Word
sorrow
Phoneticssor·row, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsɑɹoʊ/
UK/sˈɒɹəʊ/
Definitions
01deep sadness
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. a very strong feeling of sadness or grief.
n. a state of intense distress or unhappiness caused by loss, disappointment, or misfortune.
“He felt a great sense of sorrow after his old dog passed away.”
“The community expressed deep sorrow following the news of the factory closure, which had been the town's primary employer for decades.”
02a cause of sadness
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary
n. a specific event or trouble that makes you feel sad.
n. a specific cause or instance of grief or misfortune; frequently used in the plural form.
“She had experienced many sorrows in her long life, but she remained kind.”
“The poet wrote extensively about the joys and sorrows of rural life, capturing the harsh realities of the changing seasons.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to feel grief
C2 · Proficiency Literary · Formal
v. to feel or show great sadness.
v. to experience or express deep distress or regret; functions both transitively and intransitively.
“The whole nation sorrowed at the loss of their leader.”
“They sorrowed over the missed opportunities of their youth, reflecting on paths not taken with a quiet, dignified regret.”
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“As he looks back with deep sorrow, he feels the end of his career could be coming.” “I wouldn’t recommend it as a stocking-filler; the stocking would fall to the floor with the weight of sorrow.” Etymology
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 adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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