50 Idioms for Sadness With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Sadness
1. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling very sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: After failing his math test, Timmy was down in the dumps.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling gloomy, Feeling miserable.
2. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that can’t be undone.
In a Sentence: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; move on.
Other Ways to Say: Dwell on the past, Regret unnecessarily.
3. Broken-hearted
Meaning: Extremely sad due to love or loss.
In a Sentence: She was broken-hearted after her dog passed away.
Other Ways to Say: Devastated, Grieving.
4. Feeling blue
Meaning: Feeling sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: He’s been feeling blue since his friend moved away.
Other Ways to Say: Down, Melancholy.
5. At the end of one’s rope
Meaning: Feeling emotionally exhausted and hopeless.
In a Sentence: She was at the end of her rope after another rejection.
Other Ways to Say: Fed up, Overwhelmed.
6. Heavy heart
Meaning: Feeling deeply sad.
In a Sentence: He left with a heavy heart after saying goodbye.
Other Ways to Say: Heartbroken, Grief-stricken.
7. Tear one’s heart out
Meaning: To cause someone extreme emotional pain.
In a Sentence: Watching them argue tore my heart out.
Other Ways to Say: Devastate, Crush.
8. Drown one’s sorrows
Meaning: To drink alcohol to cope with sadness.
In a Sentence: He went to the pub to drown his sorrows.
Other Ways to Say: Drink away pain, Escape through drinking.
9. Misery loves company
Meaning: Sad people like to be with others who are sad.
In a Sentence: They bonded because misery loves company.
Other Ways to Say: Find comfort in shared sadness.
10. Shed tears
Meaning: To cry.
In a Sentence: She shed tears at the sad movie.
Other Ways to Say: Weep, Sob.
11. Cry a river
Meaning: To cry a lot.
In a Sentence: He cried a river after losing his pet.
Other Ways to Say: Weep endlessly, Sob hard.
12. Downhearted
Meaning: Feeling discouraged or sad.
In a Sentence: She felt downhearted after the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Discouraged, Disheartened.
13. Lump in one’s throat
Meaning: Feeling like crying but holding back tears.
In a Sentence: I had a lump in my throat during the farewell speech.
Other Ways to Say: Choked up, On the verge of tears.
14. Grin and bear it
Meaning: Endure something painful without complaint.
In a Sentence: He had to grin and bear it when they ignored him.
Other Ways to Say: Endure, Put up with.
15. Bawl one’s eyes out
Meaning: Cry loudly and uncontrollably.
In a Sentence: The child bawled his eyes out after dropping his ice cream.
Other Ways to Say: Wail, Sob hard.
16. Be beside oneself with grief
Meaning: Extremely upset.
In a Sentence: She was beside herself with grief after her father’s passing.
Other Ways to Say: Distraught, Devastated.
17. Tearjerker
Meaning: A story or movie that makes people cry.
In a Sentence: That film is a real tearjerker.
Other Ways to Say: Sad story, Emotional drama.
18. Gloomy outlook
Meaning: Having a sad or pessimistic view.
In a Sentence: He had a gloomy outlook on life after the tragedy.
Other Ways to Say: Negative, Hopeless.
19. Sad sack
Meaning: Someone who is habitually sad or depressed.
In a Sentence: Don’t be a sad sack — cheer up!
Other Ways to Say: Miserable person, Moaner.
20. Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve
Meaning: To openly show emotions.
In a Sentence: She wears her heart on her sleeve and everyone knows when she’s down.
Other Ways to Say: Be open, Show feelings.
21. Down in the mouth
Meaning: Looking unhappy or dejected.
In a Sentence: He was down in the mouth after losing the match.
Other Ways to Say: Depressed, Glum.
22. Cast down
Meaning: Feeling despondent or dejected.
In a Sentence: She seemed cast down after the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Disheartened, Dispirited.
23. Cry oneself to sleep
Meaning: Cry until falling asleep.
In a Sentence: She cried herself to sleep after the breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Sob till asleep, Weep till dawn.
24. Bleeding heart
Meaning: Someone who shows excessive sympathy.
In a Sentence: He’s a bleeding heart when it comes to animal welfare.
Other Ways to Say: Compassionate, Softhearted.
25. Have a sinking feeling
Meaning: Feeling of impending sadness or doom.
In a Sentence: I had a sinking feeling before hearing the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Dread, Foreboding.
26. Feel low
Meaning: To feel unhappy or depressed.
In a Sentence: I’ve been feeling low since the holidays ended.
Other Ways to Say: Feel down, Be gloomy.
27. Moping around
Meaning: Moving about in a gloomy or dejected way.
In a Sentence: He’s been moping around the house all day.
Other Ways to Say: Sulking, Brooding.
28. Heavy as lead
Meaning: Feeling weighed down by sadness.
In a Sentence: My heart felt heavy as lead when I heard the news.
Other Ways to Say: Burdened, Sorrowful.
29. A face like a wet weekend
Meaning: Looking very sad or miserable.
In a Sentence: She had a face like a wet weekend after the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Glum, Crestfallen.
30. Have a cloud over one’s head
Meaning: Being in a state of sadness or worry.
In a Sentence: He’s had a cloud over his head since the incident.
Other Ways to Say: Be gloomy, Be troubled.
31. Heart sinks
Meaning: To suddenly feel very sad or disappointed.
In a Sentence: My heart sank when I saw the empty classroom.
Other Ways to Say: Feel hopeless, Feel crushed.
32. Feel gutted
Meaning: To feel extremely sad or devastated.
In a Sentence: I felt gutted when I didn’t get the job.
Other Ways to Say: Crushed, Disappointed.
33. Wallow in self-pity
Meaning: To indulge excessively in feelings of sadness.
In a Sentence: He spent the weekend wallowing in self-pity.
Other Ways to Say: Sulk, Brood.
34. Lose heart
Meaning: To lose hope or confidence.
In a Sentence: She lost heart after so many rejections.
Other Ways to Say: Feel discouraged, Lose hope.
35. A shoulder to cry on
Meaning: Someone who offers sympathy.
In a Sentence: I’m lucky to have a shoulder to cry on in tough times.
Other Ways to Say: A confidant, Supportive friend.
36. Melancholy mood
Meaning: A gloomy or depressed mood.
In a Sentence: He’s been in a melancholy mood all day.
Other Ways to Say: Sad, Morose.
37. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm causing eventual neglect of genuine distress.
In a Sentence: If you cry wolf too often, no one will believe you when you’re truly sad.
Other Ways to Say: Give false alarms, Overreact.
38. Nurse a broken heart
Meaning: To take time recovering from sadness.
In a Sentence: She’s still nursing a broken heart after the breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Grieve, Heal emotionally.
39. Eyes brimming with tears
Meaning: About to cry.
In a Sentence: His eyes were brimming with tears at the farewell.
Other Ways to Say: Choked up, Tearful.
40. Pull a long face
Meaning: Look sad or disappointed.
In a Sentence: Why the long face?
Other Ways to Say: Sulk, Look glum.
41. A sad sight
Meaning: Something that evokes sadness.
In a Sentence: The empty playground was a sad sight.
Other Ways to Say: Heartbreaking, Pitiful.
42. Wrapped in sorrow
Meaning: Deeply sad or consumed by grief.
In a Sentence: He was wrapped in sorrow after the tragedy.
Other Ways to Say: Grief-stricken, Mournful.
43. Weighed down by sorrow
Meaning: Overwhelmed by sadness.
In a Sentence: She looked weighed down by sorrow at the funeral.
Other Ways to Say: Burdened, Oppressed.
44. Be out of sorts
Meaning: Feeling unwell or unhappy.
In a Sentence: He’s been out of sorts since the breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Off mood, Unsettled.
45. Mourning period
Meaning: Time of expressing grief.
In a Sentence: They observed a mourning period for their lost loved one.
Other Ways to Say: Grieving, Bereavement.
46. Be a shadow of oneself
Meaning: Look pale and sad.
In a Sentence: After the incident, she was a shadow of herself.
Other Ways to Say: Frail, Faded.
47. Carry a burden
Meaning: Endure emotional pain.
In a Sentence: He carried a burden of guilt.
Other Ways to Say: Bear grief, Hold sorrow.
48. Hard pill to swallow
Meaning: An unpleasant truth.
In a Sentence: Losing was a hard pill to swallow.
Other Ways to Say: Tough fact, Bitter truth.
49. At one’s lowest ebb
Meaning: At the saddest or weakest point.
In a Sentence: She was at her lowest ebb after losing her job.
Other Ways to Say: Rock bottom, Deeply depressed.
50. Be crestfallen
Meaning: Sad and disappointed.
In a Sentence: He looked crestfallen when his name was missing.
Other Ways to Say: Downcast, Dejected.
