sadden — to make someone feel sad or unhappy
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make someone feel sad or unhappy
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈsædən/
Example Sentences
- It saddened the cat when his favorite cardboard box was recycled.
- The teacher was saddened to see empty desks after graduation.
- What saddened him most was losing his phone with 10,000 unread messages.
sadden
VERB[/ˈsædən/]
to make someone feel sad or unhappy
Friend's departure saddens the girl
Storms sadden, rainbows gladden, then clouds madden
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Derived from Old English 'sæd', meaning 'heavy' or 'serious', the word evolved to denote 'sorrowful' in Modern English. Originally carrying positive connotations of 'satisfied' or 'sated', it underwent semantic shift over centuries to acquire its present negative meaning of sadness.
Breakdown
sad (sorrowful, heavy) + -en (verbal suffix forming a transitive verb meaning 'to make or become'). The suffix -en converts the adjective into a verb meaning 'to make sad'.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“It saddened the cat when his favorite cardboard box was recycled.”
“The teacher was saddened to see empty desks after graduation.”
“What saddened him most was losing his phone with 10,000 unread messages.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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