saddens

VERB

upset, depress

Synonyms

STRONGEST

discourage dishearten dispirit grieve

STRONG

dash deject deplore desolate distress down oppress press

WEAK

break one's heart bring one down bum out cast down dampen spirits drag down make blue put a damper on put into a funk throw cold water on turn one off weigh down

Antonyms

STRONGEST

encourage hearten inspirit

STRONG

aid assist delight help

WEAK

cheer gladden make happy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“It saddens me to see how much celebration there’s been—especially on a campus that advertises itself as a place where you should feel safe to be you.”

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

"A loss that deeply saddens our city and the entire world," a Roma statement read.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

“And I know that this action broke trust with many members of my community, and of course that really saddens me, and I feel very determined to continue to try to build that trust.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2024

“It saddens me, because their lives were cut off too soon,” she said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024

Even though he had not been in touch since Mauve had left him angrily in the dunes—“You have a vicious character,” Mauve had said to him—his death saddens Vincent greatly.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman