Meaning & use
saddest
Last updated
“saddest” is a form of “sad”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Superlative of sad: the most unhappy or the most causing unhappiness.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb, often with 'the': the saddest day; she was the saddest.
Patterns
- the saddest something
- the saddest I have ever felt
That was the saddest movie I have ever seen.
This is the saddest news we have received all year.
He looked the saddest of all the children.
Word forms
| positive | sad |
|---|---|
| comparative | sadder |
Common combinations
- the saddest thing
- The saddest thing about the story is that nobody helped.
- the saddest part
- The saddest part of the film comes at the end.
- the saddest day
- It was the saddest day of her life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unhappiest
- A direct synonym, but 'unhappiest' is less common and sounds a little formal.
- most miserable
- Stronger and more intense; often suggests great suffering, while 'saddest' can be milder.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: saddest or sadded?
saddest vs sadded
Not a standard word; 'sadded' is sometimes mistakenly used as a past tense, but 'sad' is an adjective and has no such verb form.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'saddest' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Saddest' is the superlative, used for three or more things or for the most extreme case. 'Saddest than' is wrong because 'than' needs a comparative like 'sadder'. 'More saddest' is a double superlative. 'Saddest of the two' is wrong because with two things we use the comparative 'sadder'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “saddest”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.