sad

a (kind of) reflection on (someone or something)

That which presents a particular kind of opinion about or informs the reputation of someone or something. The staff you hire to serve customers are the best reflection on your restaurant as a whole. I feel like parents only want their children to behave in public because they know they'll be a poor reflection on them otherwise. The decay and ruin these landmarks are in is unfortunately a sad reflection on the economic state of our city.
See also: on, reflection

a sad sight

Some instance or situation that arouses an intense feeling of sadness or pity. It was such a sad sight to behold, having to watch the child be taken from her mother like that. As I entered the clearing, I came upon the sad sight of a deer that had been caught in a bear trap.
See also: sad, sight

a sad state (of affairs)

A particularly unfortunate, unpleasant, or upsetting situation or set of circumstances. Their company has been in a sad state after Jonathan took over. It's a sad state of affairs when you can no longer be sure how you're going to feed your children each night.
See also: sad, state

it is a poor heart that never rejoices

proverb Even someone who tends to feel sad can find great joy, amusement, or delight in or about something. I'm sure this vacation will perk him up. It is a poor heart that never rejoices, after all.
See also: heart, never, poor, rejoice, that

it is a sad heart that never rejoices

proverb Even someone who tends to feel sad can find great joy, amusement, or delight in or about something. I'm sure this vacation will perk him up. It is a sad heart that never rejoices, after all.
See also: heart, never, rejoice, sad, that

sad sack

1. noun A hopelessly inept, blundering person who can't do anything right. That poor sad sack Sarah has been stuck in the same dead-end role in this company for years.
2. noun A sad, moping person, especially one who refuses to try and improve their mood or situation. Don't be such a sad sack—I know you're disappointed about missing the concert, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun tonight! He just sat there like a sad sack, sulking in the corner of the party.
3. verb To be in a sad, moping mood, especially while refusing to try and improve one's mood or situation. Usually used in the continuous tense; sometimes hyphenated. If you don't quit sad sacking back there, I'm going to turn the car around and drive us all straight back home! Bill's been sad-sacking around the office ever since he got passed over for the promotion.
See also: sack, sad

sad-ass

rude slang Detestable, pitiful, or depressing. Now that I've lived in New York City, I can't go back to the sad-ass town I grew up in. I just got a promotion, so it's time for me to move out of this sad-ass apartment and find something better.

sadder but wiser

Knowledgeable or experienced after having gone through something unpleasant or unfortunate. We came through the economic disaster sadder but wiser, hopefully better prepared for such disasters in the future. I left the dinner sadder but wiser, understanding just how entrenched her family's bigotry still is.
See also: but, sad, wiser

too (something) for words

So extremely (something) that it cannot be described in words. Marie, you are too kind for words. How can I ever thank you?
See also: word

too bad, so sad

A sarcastic expression indicating that one feels little or no sympathy toward someone's plight. So the billionaire CEO has to forfeit all his assets as punishment for defrauding half the country? Too bad, so sad.
See also: sad
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

disappointed at someone or something

 and disappointed in someone or something
becoming sad because of someone or something. I am really disappointed at what you did. I am very disappointed in you. That was a terrible thing to do. They were disappointed in the outcome.
See also: disappointed

It is a poor heart that never rejoices.

 and It is a sad heart that never rejoices.
Prov. Even a habitually sad person cannot be sad all the time. (Sometimes used to indicate that a habitually sad person is happy about something.) Jill: I've never seen Sam smile before, but today, at his retirement party, he smiled. Jane: It is a poor heart that never rejoices.
See also: heart, never, poor, rejoice, that

sadder but wiser

Cliché unhappy but knowledgeable [about someone or something--after an unpleasant event]. After the accident, I was sadder but wiser, and would never make the same mistake again. We left the meeting sadder but wiser, knowing that we could not ever come to an agreement with Becky's aunt.
See also: but, sad, wiser

sorry sight

 and sad sight
a sight that one regrets seeing; someone or something that is unpleasant to look at. Well, aren't you a sorry sight! Go get cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes.
See also: sight, sorry
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

sadder but wiser

Unhappy but having learned from one's mistakes, as in Sadder but wiser, she's never going near poison ivy again. The pairing of these two adjectives was first recorded in Samuel Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798).
See also: but, sad, wiser

sad sack

A singularly inept person, as in Poor George is a hopeless sad sack. This term alludes to a cartoon character, Sad Sack, invented by George Baker in 1942 and representing a soldier in ill-fitting uniform who failed at whatever he tried to do. It was soon transferred to clumsily inept civilians.
See also: sack, sad
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

sad sack

an inept blundering person. informal, chiefly US
See also: sack, sad
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a sad, poor, etc. reflection on something

a thing which damages somebody’s/something’s reputation: The increase in crime is a sad reflection on our society today.
See also: on, reflection, something

too funny, sad, etc. for ˈwords

extremely funny, sad, etc: The man in the post office was too stupid for words.
See also: word
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

sad

mod. poor; undesirable. This steak is really sad.

sad sack

n. a sad person; a listless or depressed person. Tom always looks like such a sad sack.
See also: sack, sad
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

sadder and/but wiser

Enlightened by an unfortunate experience; learning from one’s mistakes. The pairing of these two thoughts appears in the concluding stanza of Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798): “He went like one that hath been stunned,/And is of sense forlorn:/A sadder and a wiser man,/He rose the morrow morn.”
See also: and, but, sad, wiser

sad sack, a

A pathetically inept individual. The term comes from a cartoon character named Sad Sack, invented by Sgt. George Baker and very popular during World War II. Baker’s representation of a limp-looking soldier in ill-fitting, loose-hanging uniform, who tried to do his best but was neither smart nor lucky and consequently failed at whatever he undertook, caught on, and the name was transferred to the inept in civilian life.
See also: sad

sad state of affairs, a

An unhappy condition, unfortunate circumstances. The use of state of affairs to describe events or circumstances originated as the more ambiguous state of things, which was first recorded in 1555. Affairs began to be used about two centuries later. R. L. Green played on it in The Land of Lord High Tiger: “Sad affairs of State! Sad state of affairs! Affairs of a sad state.” It is sometimes put as sorry state of affairs.
See also: of, sad, state
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a (kind of) reflection on (someone or something)
  • a sad, poor, etc. reflection on something
  • reflection
  • dime-dropper
  • dropper
  • engage
  • engage (one) as (something)
  • engage as
  • IYHO
  • like giving a donkey strawberries
References in periodicals archive
The necessary pathological-histological analysis of the surrounding bone and soft tissue was made at the Department of Pathology and the Institute for Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad. Research of metallic material incorporated into the animal bone was conducted to identify any possible changes.
Production of medical products for the purposes in orthopedics and traumatology in Novi Sad/Proizvodnja medicinskih sredstava za potrebe ortopedije i traumatologije u Novom Sadu
Light therapy has been the primary treatment for SAD since the 1980s.
Does winter make you depressed? Talk therapy may help you overcome seasonal affective disorder
"Our thoughts are with Craig's family and friends at this very sad time."
Tributes after body of missing man found
In 2002 assembly elections SAD ideology shows its great concern in the Panth, Punjab and Punjabiat.
Ideology and Politics of Shiromani Akali Dal: Reading the Party Manifesto (1997-2012)
When I took Paul to the doctors, he got emotional and said that he just wanted to marry Anne, too "R.I.P Paul Jenny Birtley: "R.I.P Paul sad news but at least they got their amazing dream wedding, something to hold on to."
Couple's dream came true for two short weeks
Both professionals point out the connection of SAD with times of the year with less sunshine; thus residents of Alaska are seven times more likely to have this disorder than residents of Florida.
Sad much more than just the winter blahs
Into two separate sets of 10 ml volumetric flasks different aliquots containing 20200 g of each SAD and ASC solutions were accurately transferred from their working solutions; then the volume was completed with double distilled water.
Novel Spectrophotometric Methods for Determination ofSalicylamide and Ascorbic acid in their binary mixture
Previous research has shown that relative to unaffected peers, people with SAD have a reduced melanopsin cell response in winter (Psychiatry Res.
People who have SAD are sensitive to light year round
In most cases simple statistical models are powerful enough to quantify SAD (Cheng et al.
Species Abundance Distribution Pattern of Microarthropod Communities in SW Canada
James Robinson So sad, I've been going to the Kush for years, lovely people my thoughts are with the family Lynne Tracey Very sad loved the Kush x Amanda Peake
Farewell to curry favourite
SAD is more commonly seen in women, but it affects both genders.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: How the seasons can affect your mood
It's so sad, and hope they find David so both families are at rest.
Word on the web
Tracy M Bates posted: "Thinking of all his family and Jordan and her family at this sad time hope they get who is responsible for this poor man's life r.i.p xx" Sharon Cooper wrote: "Thoughts are with this young man's family, very sad."
Tributes paid to stabbing victim Gavin
'I'm sad, because when we always read it, when it is no more, it is as if we lost something,' he added.
Readers bid poignant farewell to Malay Mail newspaper, look to digital future
And now experts are predicting an outbreak of people suffering seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as the darker, colder evenings set in and the clocks go back.
Don't get SAD this winter; YOUR HEALTH; Do you dread the colder months and long for spring? Follow our plan to avoid falling prey to the winter blues