27 Sad Idioms & Phrases (Meaning & Examples)

Are you looking for some helpful sad idioms?

If so, you have come to the right place.

In this post, we are going to look at some popular sad idioms and how to use them in a sentence.

Let’s begin…

27 Sad Idioms & Phrases (Meaning & Examples)

1. To Feel Blue

• Meaning: to feel depressed.
• Use In A Sentence: I think I am just going to stay home today. I am feeling kind of blue.

2. To Be Down In The Dumps

• Meaning: to be visibly sad.
• Use In A Sentence: What is wrong with Mario? He looks like he is down in the dumps today. He broke up with his girlfriend last night.

3. To Cry Crocodile Tears

• Meaning: to pretend to be sad.
• Use In A Sentence: Julie cried crocodile tears when she heard that John had lost his job.

4. To Be Down In The Mouth

• Meaning: to be visibly sad.
• Use In A Sentence: I don’t know what is wrong with Max. He has been down in the mouth all day.

5. To Reduce One To Tears

• Meaning: to cause one to cry.
• Use In A Sentence: My wife loves this movie. It reduces her to tears every time.

6. A Sad Sight

• Meaning: a sight that causes one to have feelings of sadness or pity.
• Use In A Sentence: It was a sad sight to walk into the room and see everyone crying.

7. A Sad Set Of Affairs

• Meaning: an unfortunate or unpleasant situation.
• Use In A Sentence: The country has been in a sad set of affairs ever since he took office.

8. Too Sad For Words

• Meaning: a situation that is so sad that one can not express his feelings in words.
• Use In A Sentence: I don’t know what to say. It was too sad for words.

9. Sadder But Wiser

• Meaning: a person who is unhappy about their current situation, but they have learned from their mistakes.
• Use In A Sentence: Sadder but wiser, Karen is never going to do that again. She definitely learned her lesson.

10. A Sad Reflection On Something

• Meaning: something that damages the reputation of something or someone.
• Use In A Sentence: Why did our boss say that about the company on national TV? He is such a sad reflection of our company and the people who work here.

11. To Have A Lump In One’s Throat

• Meaning: to be so sad about something that one can’t put one’s feelings in words.
• Use In A Sentence: I had a lump in my throat as I walked into the funeral home. What was I going to say to offer comfort to the grieving family?

12. To Pierce One’s Heart

• Meaning: to impact one deeply.
• Use In A Sentence: After she finished telling her life story, everyone was crying. You could tell the story had really pierced everyone’s heart.

13. To Be Down And Out

• Meaning: to be sad as a result of losing hope that something was going to happy today.
• Use In A Sentence: I am sorry, I am just a little down and out today. I was looking forward to seeing my boyfriend this weekend, but he just called me and told me that his boss needs him to work.

14. One’s Heart Sinks

• Meaning: to be very disappointed about something.
• Use In A Sentence: My heart sank when my boss told me the project I have been working on for 5 months has been a waste of my time.

15. To Be Sick At Heart

• Meaning: to experience deep unpleasant emotions such as grief or disappointment.
• Use In A Sentence: George has been sick at heart ever since his wife died from cancer.

16. To Fall To Pieces

• Meaning: to become very emotional about something.
• Use In A Sentence: She fell to pieces when she saw her brother in casket.

17. To Fall Apart

• Meaning: to break down emotionally.
• Use In A Sentence: I don’t like to watch sad movies. I fall apart every time.

18. To Break One’s Heart

• Meaning: to cause one to be sad. It is most often used in the connection with ending a romantic relationship with someone.
• Use In A Sentence: Wayne broke that girl’s heart when he told her he just wanted to be friends.

19. To Take Something Hard

• Meaning: to affect someone’s feelings in a negative way.
• Use In A Sentence: Julie took it hard when her boyfriend ended their relationship.

20. To Have A Heavy Heart

• Meaning: to be depressed.
• Use In A Sentence: Jason has had a heavy heart ever since his grandmother died.

21. To Knock One Sideways

• Meaning: to cause one to be extremely sad about something.
• Use In A Sentence: The death of his sister knocked John sideways. He hasn’t been the same person ever since.

22. To Be Broken Hearted

• Meaning: to be very sad.
• Use In A Sentence: I don’t know what to do. James is so broken-hearted about the loss of his daughter. I don’t know what to say to console him.

23. To Be Low In Spirits

• Meaning: to be sad due to discouragement.
• Use In A Sentence: Sally has been low in spirits ever since she lost her job.

24. To Be Cut Up About Something Or Someone

• Meaning: to be very emotional about something.
• Use In A Sentence: She was cut up the fire destroying her childhood home.

25. To Feel Out Of Sorts

• Meaning: to feel unhappy.
• Use In A Sentence: I must say, this rainy weather has really put me out of sorts.

26. To Be Bummed Out

• Meaning: to be sad or discouraged.
• Use In A Sentence: My daughter just heard the concert she was been planning to go to has been canceled. She is really bummed out.

27. To Not Be A Happy Camper

• Meaning: to be unhappy or sad.
• Use In A Sentence: The children have not been happy campers since their parents took their toys away.

There you have it! 27 useful sad idioms. Did we forget one? If so, share your thoughts in the comments below.