Sorrow
noun /ˈsɒrəʊ/ — Deep distress — the oldest English word for the feeling of loss and sadness.
Definition
A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others; the outward expression of grief.
Beyond the definition
Sorrow is among the oldest words in English for deep emotional pain — it predates the Norman conquest, sitting in Old English. It has a weight that sadness lacks: sorrow is sorrow the way grief is grief, not its lighter variant.
Origin & history
From Old English sorg — grief, sorrow (from Proto-Germanic *surgō). One of the oldest words in the Germanic emotional lexicon — sorrow has no Latin etymology to distance it. It is the oldest English itself.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She carried the sorrow with a particular dignity — not displaying it but not hiding it either.
The sorrow of knowing what might have been is its own category: the grief for the unlived life.
Sorrow is not just sadness — it has a weight and a direction, a sense of something that cannot be recovered.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Sorrow” when the meaning fits your context: A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others; the outward expression of grief.
Synonyms
Antonyms
joy, happiness, delight
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Deep Reflective Sadness
An adult sits in a dark, quiet room, looking at an empty chair, their posture somber and reflective.
The person's somber posture and the empty chair convey deep sorrow. The visual focus on the absence of a loved one captures the feeling of distress caused by loss and the outward expression of their profound, internal state of sadness.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Sorrow" mean?
Sorrow is noun meaning: Deep distress — the oldest English word for the feeling of loss and sadness.. A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others; the outward expression of grief.
Where does the word "Sorrow" come from?
From Old English sorg — grief, sorrow (from Proto-Germanic *surgō). One of the oldest words in the Germanic emotional lexicon — sorrow has no Latin etymology to distance it. It is the oldest English itself.