with sadness
/wɪð ˈsæd.nəs/prepositional phrase★Intermediate
informal
in a manner expressing or accompanied by sadness
He signed the letter with sadness.
He wrote the letter feeling sad.
💡
Used to describe the emotional tone of an action or expression.
Collocations
spoke with sadnesssaid something while feeling sadwatched with sadnessobserved something while feeling sad
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
with griefphrase
feeling deep sorrow
with sorrowphrase
feeling sorrowful
💡Pro Tip
Placement tip
Put 'with sadness' right after the verb to clearly link the emotion to the action (e.g., 'She nodded with sadness').
📖Word Origin
From Old English 'with' (accompanied by) + 'sadness' (from Old English 'sæd' meaning 'sated, weary', later 'sad' meaning sorrowful).
📝Usage Notes
Place the phrase after the verb or clause it modifies. It conveys a gentle, often visible emotional tone.
English Dictionary