Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sorry

Sor′ry

Adj.

[

Com

par.

Sorrier

;

sup

erl.

Sorriest

[OE.

sory

sary

, AS.

sārig

, fr.

sār

Noun.

sore

See

Sore

Noun.

Adj.

The original sense was, painful; hence, miserable, sad.]

Grieved for the loss of some good; pained for some evil; feeling regret; – now generally used to express light grief or affliction, but formerly often used to express deeper feeling.

“I am sorry for my sins.”

Piers Plowman.

Ye were made

sorry

after a godly manner.

2 Cor. vii. 9.

I am

sorry

for thee, friend; ’t is the duke's pleasure.

Shakespeare

She entered, were he lief or

sorry

Spenser.

Melancholy; dismal; gloomy; mournful.

Spenser.

All full of chirking was this

sorry

place.

Chaucer.

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.

Syn. – Hurt; afflicted; mortified; vexed; chagrined; melancholy; dismal; poor; mean; pitiful.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sorry

SOR'RY

, a.

Grieved for the loss of some good; pained for some evil that has happened to one's self or friends or country. It does not ordinarily imply severe grief, but rather slight or transient regret. It may be however, and often is used to express deep grief. We are sorry to lose the company of those we love; we are sorry to lose friends or property; we are sorry for the misfortunes of our friends or of out country. And the king was sorry. Matt 14.

Melancholy; dismal.

Poor; mean; vile; worthless; as a sorry slave; a sorry excuse. Coarse complexions, and cheeks of sorry grain-

Definition 2024

sorry

English

Adjective

sorry ‎(comparative sorrier, superlative sorriest)

(of a person) Regretful for an action; grieved or saddened, especially by the loss of something or someone.

I am sorry I stepped on your toes. It was an accident.

I am sorry to hear of your uncle's death.
Poor, sad or regrettable.
The storm left his garden in a sorry state.

Synonyms

(regretful for an action or grieved): apologetic, attritional, compunctious, contrite, heavyhearted, melancholy, mournful, penitent, penitential, regretful, remorseful, repentant, sad, unhappy

Derived terms

Translations

regretful for an action or grieved

American Sign Language: A@Chest-PalmBack CirclesVert
Arabic: آسِف ‎(ʾāsif)
Catalan: afligit (ca), perdona
Chinese:
Mandarin: 遺憾 (zh), 遗憾 (zh) ‎(yíhàn)
Czech: zarmoucený m
Danish: ked af
Dutch: (to be sorry) spijten (nl)
Finnish: pahoillaan
French: désolé (fr)
German: es tut mir leid , Entschuldigung (de), sorry (de)
Greek: λυπάμαι (el) ‎(lypámai)
Hebrew: מצטער ‎(mitstaér)
Hungarian: sajnál (hu) verb
Irish: brónach
Italian: scusa (it)

Japanese: (disagree one's mistake) 残念 (ja) ‎(zannen), 遺憾 (ja) ‎(ikan); (agree one's mistake) すまない ‎(sumanai), 申し訳ない ‎(mōshiwakenai); (regret) 残念 (ja) ‎(zannen), 遺憾 (ja) ‎(ikan), 恐縮 (ja) ‎(kyōshuku)
Kurdish:
Sorani: خه‌جاڵه‌ت, لێبوردن
Malay: maaf
Maltese: skużani
Norwegian: lei (no)
Ojibwe: maanendam
Polish: przepraszam (pl), przykro mi
Portuguese: desculpa (pt), perdão (pt)
Russian: жаль (ru) ‎(žalʹ), сожале́ющий (ru) ‎(sožaléjuščij), огорчённый (ru) ‎(ogorčónnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: duilich
Spanish: disculpa (es), disculpe (es), discúlpame
Swedish: ledsen (sv)
Tagalog: paumanhin (tl)
Turkish: üzgün (tr)

poor, regrettable

American Sign Language: A@Chest-PalmBack CirclesVert
Catalan: llastimós
Czech: žalostný m
Danish: sørgelig
Dutch: armzalig (nl), treurig (nl)
Finnish: surkea (fi), surullinen (fi)
German: beklagenswert (de), armselig (de), traurig (de)
Japanese: (poor) 気の毒 (ja) ‎(kinodoku), かわいそう (ja) ‎(kawaisō); (regrettable) 残念 (ja) ‎(zannen), 遺憾 (ja) ‎(ikan)
Kurdish:
Sorani: په‌شیمان (ku)

Limburgish: zörgelik
Norwegian: sørgelig
Polish: przykry (pl), żałosny (pl)
Portuguese: lastimável (pt) m, f
Russian: жа́лкий (ru) ‎(žálkij), плаче́вный (ru) ‎(plačévnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: truagh
Spanish: pobre (es) m, f
Swedish: sorglig (sv), ledsam (sv)

Interjection

sorry

Expresses regret, remorse, or sorrow.
Sorry! I didn't see that you were on the phone.
Used as a request for someone to repeat something not heard or understood clearly.
Sorry? What was that? The phone cut out.
Used to correct oneself in speech.
There are four — sorry, five — branches of the store locally.

Synonyms

(request to repeat): I beg your pardon?, I'm sorry?, come again?, excuse me? (US)

Translations

expression of regret or sorrow

Adangme: kusie
Afrikaans: jammer
Albanian: më falni (formal), më fal (informal)
Alutiiq: kingun'inartua
American Sign Language: A@Chest-PalmBack CirclesVert
Arabic: آسِف m ‎(ʾāsif), آسِفَة f ‎(ʾāsifa), أَنَا آسِف m ‎(ʾanā ʾāsif), أَنَا آسِفَة f ‎(ʾanā ʾāsifa)
Moroccan Arabic: سْمح ليَّ ‎(sməḥ liyya)
Armenian: ներեցեք ‎(nerecʿekʿ) (formal), կներեք ‎(knerekʿ) (formal), ներիր ‎(nerir) (informal), կներես ‎(kneres) (informal), ներողություն (hy) ‎(nerołutʿyun)
Azeri: bağışlayın
Belarusian: (formal) выбача́йце ‎(vybačájcje), (informal) выбача́й ‎(vybačáj)
Bengali: দুঃখিত ‎(duḥkhit), মাফ করবেন ‎(maph kôrôben), সরি ‎(sôri)
Bulgarian: (formal) извине́те (bg) ‎(izvinéte), (informal) извинявай (bg) ‎(izvinjavaj), съжалявам (bg) ‎(sǎžaljavam), пардо́н (bg) ‎(pardón) (colloquial)
Catalan: perdó (ca), disculpes
Chinese:

Cantonese: 對不起, 对不起 ‎(deui³ bat¹ hei²) (formal and written), 對唔住, 对唔住 ‎(deui³ m⁴ jyu⁶), 唔好意思 ‎(m⁴ hou² yi³ si¹)

Hakka: 敗勢, 败势 ‎(phài-se), 斯里麻生 ‎(sṳ̀-li-ma-sén)

Mandarin: 對不起 (zh), 对不起 (zh) ‎(duìbùqǐ), 抱歉 (zh) ‎(bàoqiàn), 不好意思 (zh) ‎(bù hǎoyìsi), 對不住 (zh), 对不住 (zh) ‎(duìbùzhù)

Min Nan: 歹勢 (zh-min-nan), 歹势 ‎(pháiⁿ-sè, phái-sè), 毋好勢 (zh-min-nan), 毋好势 ‎(m̄-hó-sè), 對不住 (zh-min-nan), 对不住 ‎(tùi-put-chū), 對不起 (zh-min-nan), 对不起 (zh-min-nan) ‎(tùi-put-khí)

Wu: 對勿起, 对勿起 ‎(te veq qi)
Czech: promiň (informal singular), promiňte (plural or formal singular), pardon (cs)
Danish: undskyld (da), beklager
Dutch: sorry (nl), het spijt me, pardon (nl), excuseer (nl)
Esperanto: mi bedaŭras
Estonian: vabandust
Finnish: anteeksi (fi), sori (fi), olen pahoillani, pahoittelen
French: désolé (fr), navré (fr), excusez-moi (fr), excuse-moi, pardon (fr)
Georgian: უკაცრავად ‎(uḳacravad)
German: Entschuldigung (de), sorry (de); (more formal) entschuldigen Sie bitte, verzeihen Sie bitte, es tut mir leid, ich bitte um Entschuldigung, Verzeihung (de), Verzeihung (de)
Greek: συγγνώμη (el) ‎(syngnómi)
Hebrew: סְלִיחָה (he) ‎(slikhha)
Hindi: माफ़ कीजिए ‎(māf kījie), सॉरी ‎(sŏrī)
Hungarian: elnézést, elnézést kérek, bocsánat (hu), bocs (hu) (informal)
Icelandic: fyrirgefðu (is), afsakið, fyrirgefðu mér
Ido: me regretas
Irish: tá brón orm
Italian: scusi (it), scusa (it), mi scusi (it), spiacente (it), spiacenti (it) m pl, f pl
Japanese: すみません ‎(sumimasen), すまない ‎(sumanai) (informal), ごめんなさい (ja) ‎(gomen'nasai), ごめん ‎(gomen) (informal) 失礼しました ‎(shitsurei shimashita), 申し訳ありません ‎(もうしわけありません, mōshiwake arimasen)

Jingpho: tawng ban sai yaw
Karachay-Balkar: кечериксиз ‎(keçeriksiz!)
Khmer: សូមទោស ‎(som tos)
Korean: 죄송 합니다 ‎(joesonghamnida), 미안합니다 (ko) ‎(mianhamnida), 실례합니다 (ko) ‎(sillyehamnida)
Kurdish:
Sorani: ببووره‌
Lao: ຂໍໂທດ ‎(khǭ thōt)
Latin: mihi īgnōsce, excusa, excusate pl, mihi ignoscite pl, doleo, me paenitet, meā culpā, paeniteō
Latvian: piedodiet
Limburgish: spietelik
Lithuanian: atsiprašau (lt), atleiskite, dovanokite (lt)
Malay: maaf
Maltese: skużi (mt), skużani
Mongolian: уучлаарай ‎(uučlaaraj)
Northern Sami: ándagassii
Norwegian: unnskyld (no), beklager (no)
Persian: معذرت می‌خواهم ‎(ma'zerat mi-xâham), ببخشید ‎(bebaxšid)
Polish: przepraszam (pl), przykro mi
Portuguese: desculpa (pt), (formal) perdão (pt), (slang) foi mal
Romanian: îmi pare rău, scuză (ro), (informal, familiar) scuză-mă, scuzați, (formal, polite) scuzați-mă
Russian: извини́те/извини́ (ru) ‎(izviníte/izviní) (formal/informal), прости́те/прости́ (ru) ‎(prostíte/prostí) (formal/informal), прошу́ проще́ния ‎(prošú proščénija), (informal) извиня́юсь (ru) ‎(izvinjájusʹ), пардо́н (ru) ‎(pardón) (colloquial), со́рри ‎(sórri) (slang)
Scottish Gaelic: tha mi duilich
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: извините (formal), извини (informal), опростите

Roman: izvinite (sh) (formal), izvini (sh) (informal), oprostite (sh)
Slovak: (formal) prepáčte, (informal) prepáč (sk), bohužiaľ
Slovene: (formal) oprostite, (informal) oprosti
Spanish: discúlpame, perdóname, lo siento
Swedish: förlåt (sv)
Tagalog: paumanhin (tl), patawad
Thai: ขอโทษ (th) ‎(kɔ̌ɔ-tôot)
Tibetan: དགོངས་དག ‎(dgongs dag)
Turkish: pardon (tr), özür dilerim (literally "I apologize"), afedersin (colloquial; informal, singular), affedersin (tr) (written; informal, singular), afedersiniz (tr) (colloquial; formal, plural), affedersiniz (tr) (written; informal, singular) üzgünüm (literally "I am sorry")
Ukrainian: (formal) проба́чте ‎(probáčte), (informal) проба́ч ‎(probáč), перепро́шую ‎(perepróšuju), ви́бачте ‎(výbačte), ви́бач ‎(výbač)
Urdu: معاف کیجئے ‎(māf kīji'ē), ساری ‎(sorī)
Uyghur: كەچۈرۈڭ ‎(kechürüng)
Vietnamese: xin lỗi (vi)
Walloon: mande escuze (wa)
White Hmong: thov txim
Yiddish: זײַ מיר מוחל ‎(zay mir moykhl)
ǃXóõ: ǀùa ǁʻúm ǀnān

request to repeat

Afrikaans: ekskuus, wat het jy gesê?, wat sê jy? (informal)
Arabic: عَفْوًا! ‎(ʿafwan!), (to a male) مَاذَا قُلْتَ؟ ‎(māḏā qulta?), (to a female) مَاذَا قُلْتِ؟ ‎(māḏā qulti?), عُذْراً! (ar) ‎(ʿuḏran!)
Bulgarian: моля? (bg) impf ‎(molja?)
Catalan: perdó (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 請再説一遍, 请再说一遍 ‎(qǐng zài shuō yíbiàn), (less formal) 再説一遍, 再说一遍 ‎(zài shuō yíbiàn), (plain) 什麼？ (zh), 什么？ (zh) ‎(shénme), 哦？ (zh) ‎(é?)
Czech: prosím (cs)?
Danish: undskyld (da)
Dutch: pardon (nl)?, wat zegt u, wat zeg je
Esperanto: pardonu
Finnish: anteeksi (fi)
French: désolé (fr), excusez-moi (fr), excuse-moi, pardon? (fr), ? (fr), comment? (fr), (plain) quoi (fr), hein? (fr) (colloquial)
Georgian: უკაცრავად ‎(uḳacravad), რა (ka) ‎(ra)
German: wie bitte? (de), bitte? (de), wie? (de) (plain)
Hungarian: tessék? (hu), elnézést, nem értem
Icelandic: afsakið?, fyrirgefðu (is)?
Indonesian: maaf (id)
Irish: gabh mo leithscéal
Italian: mi scusi (it)
Japanese: もう一回 ‎(もういっかい, mō ikkai), もう一度 ‎(もういちど, mō ichido) add いってください (itte kudasai) (to the end to make the request more polite), (plain) 何？ (ja) ‎(なに？, nani?), え？ (ja) ‎(e?)

Kurdish:
Sorani: ببووره‌, به‌ڵێ
Latin: repete
Limburgish: waat? (li)
Malay: minta maaf, maaf
Mongolian: юу гэнээ? ‎(juu genee?)
Northern Sami: ándagassii
Norwegian: unnskyld (no)
Persian: ببخشید ‎(bebaxšid), معذرت می‌خواهم ‎(ma'zerat mi-xâham)
Polish: przepraszam? (pl), słucham?
Portuguese: quê? (pt) como?, hein? (pt), perdão? (pt)
Russian: прошу́ проще́ния ‎(prošú proščénija), что вы сказа́ли ‎(što vy skazáli)?, (plain) что? (ru) ‎(što?)
Scottish Gaelic: b' àill leat? (informal singular), b' àill leibh? (plural or formal singular)
Serbo-Croatian: molim (sh)?
Spanish: ¿cómo? (es), ¿perdón? (es), (Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, colloquial) ¿ah? (es), (Cuba, Spain, colloquial) ¿eh? (es), (Mexico, colloquial) ¿mande? (es)
Swedish: ursäkta (sv), förlåt (sv)
Turkish: pardon (tr)?, efendim (tr)?
Walloon: kimint djhoz? (ordinary and polite), kimint diss? (familiar), cwè (wa)? (colloquial), pardon? (formal)

Noun

sorry ‎(plural sorries or sorrys)

The act of saying sorry; an apology.
- 2007, Christopher Levan, Give Us This Day: Lenten Reflections on Baking Bread and Discipleship (page 107)
  The British would do it standing stock still, Latinos would dance their sorries, and Canadians would find a way to apologize on ice.
- 2008, Lucy S. Danziger, Self Magazine's 15 Minutes to Your Best Self
  So learn how to tailor your sorries to the sexes. Women tend to want an acknowledgment of what they're going through...

Translations

act of saying sorry

Afrikaans: verskoning vra
Finnish: anteeksipyyntö

Greek: συγγνώμη (el) f ‎(syngnómi)
Italian: scuse (it) f pl
Persian: پوزش (fa) ‎(puzeš)
Swedish: förlåt (sv) n, ursäkt (sv) c

Related terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: example · class · century · #985: sorry · share · working · breath

Czech

Etymology

English

Interjection

sorry

(informal) sorry (I apologize)

Synonyms

See also pardon

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

From English sorry.

Interjection

sorry

sorry (expressing regret)
Je hebt me heel erg pijn gedaan toen je dat zei. — Sorry, dat is nooit mijn bedoeling geweest.
You really hurt me a lot when you said that. — Sorry, that was never my intention.
sorry, pardon, excuse me
Je stond op mijn voet! — Oh, sorry!
You were standing on my foot! — Oh, sorry!

Synonyms

(expressing regret): het spijt me
(pardon): pardon, excuseer

Etymology

From Middle English sory, from Old English sāriġ ‎(“feeling or expressing grief, sorry, grieved, sorrowful, sad, mournful, bitter”), from Proto-Germanic *sairagaz ‎(“sad”), from Proto-Indo-European *sayǝw- ‎(“hard, rough, painful”), equivalent to sore +‎ -y. Cognate with Scots sairie ‎(“sad, grieved”), West Frisian searich ‎(“sad, sorry”), Low German serig ‎(“sick, scabby”), German dialectal sehrig ‎(“sore, sad, painful”), Swedish sårig. More at sore.

Pronunciation

(Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔɹi/
(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɒɹi/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑɹi/, /ˈsɒɹi/
Homophone: sari
Rhymes: -ɒri

Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sorry

Sor′ry

Webster 1828 Edition

Sorry

SOR'RY

Definition 2024

sorry

sorry

English

Adjective

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

Synonyms

Translations

Noun

Translations

Related terms

Statistics

Czech

Etymology

Interjection

Synonyms

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

Interjection

Synonyms

Etymology

Pronunciation

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