Phrases to describe Sadness

Question 1

to be down in the dumps

Answer 1

unhappy, gloomy, melancholic state of mind

• Mr Tan was down in the dumps after he lost his job.
• Sofia was down in the dumps to find out that her pet cat had passed away.

Question 2

heart-rending (adj)

Answer 2

causing great sympathy or sadness / distress

• She sang such a heart-rending version of that song that it made everyone in the room tear.
• When she heard the bad news, she let out a heart-rending wail and fell to her knees in grief.

Question 3

to feel blue

Answer 3

unhappy, depressed

• He was feeling blue as he was left out of the class gathering.
• Feeling blue, Sharon locked herself in the room and ate ice-cream.

Question 4

heavy-hearted (adj)

or

with a heavy heart

Answer 4

feeling melancholic or depressed

• After finding out that she had failed all her tests, Sally walked home with a heavy heart.
• John was heavy-hearted to find out that his team had lost the competition.

Question 5

to be wretched with grief

Answer 5

in a state of extreme sadness, grief-stricken

• Lola was wretched with grief when she found out that her pet dog had died.
• Wretched with grief, the lady buried her face in her hands and started sobbing.

Question 6

to be in the doldrums

Answer 6

sad and with no energy or enthusiasm; sluggish, in low spirits, dull, listless

• Jack was in the doldrums after losing the match. He spent most of his time sleeping in his room.
• On the first day of school after the holidays, the teacher could sense that the entire class was in the doldrums.

Question 7

to feel bummed out

Answer 7

upset, disappointed

• He felt bummed out after losing the badminton match.
• I am feeling bummed out from getting fired again from my job.

Question 8

to be reduced to tears

Answer 8

to make a person cry

• When Mr Lee reprimanded her for not handing up her homework, she was reduced to tears.
• The husband was reduced to tears when his wife did not survive the car crash.

Question 9

to be crestfallen

Answer 9

disappointed and sad because of having failed unexpectedly; dispirited, dejected

• He was crestfallen to find out that his application to his college of choice was rejected.
• After losing the match, the players went home crestfallen.

Question 10

to have a sinking feeling

Answer 10

a feeling that something bad is going to happen; a feeling of uneasiness and apprehension

• I have a sinking feeling that this idea will not work out well.
• The moment he heard the phone rang, he had a sinking feeling that something was not right.