sorrow

sorrow — noun

1. A strong, painful feeling of unhappiness that fills your mind, often after losin

1.名詞B2
釋義

A strong, painful feeling of unhappiness that fills your mind, often after losing someone or something important in your life.

例句

The whole village felt deep sorrow when the old teacher passed away.

collocation: deep sorrow / great sorrow

Linh could not hide her sorrow at the funeral of her grandmother.

同義詞
  • grief

    stronger and more specific to death or devastating loss

  • sadness

    broader and milder; covers any unhappiness

  • heartache

    more poetic and personal, often tied to relationships

反義詞
  • joy

    a feeling of great happiness

  • delight

    strong pleasure and satisfaction

用法筆記

Uncountable when referring to the general emotion — you would not say 'a sorrow' in this sense.

常見錯誤

I felt a sorrow after hearing the news.
I felt deep sorrow after hearing the news.
💡Sorrow is uncountable when it means the feeling itself, so 'a sorrow' is incorrect.

2. A person, event, or situation that fills you with unhappiness — for instance, a

2.名詞B2
釋義

A person, event, or situation that fills you with unhappiness — for instance, a tragic loss, a painful separation, or a long period of hardship.

例句

The war brought many sorrows to families on both sides of the border.

plural: sorrows — countable use for causes

Aylin listened to her friend's sorrows late into the night.

同義詞
  • misfortune

    focuses on bad luck rather than emotional impact

  • trouble

    more general and less intense

  • affliction

    more formal and often physical or spiritual

反義詞
  • blessing

    something that brings happiness or good fortune

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this sense is countable and often appears in the plural (sorrows) to refer to multiple causes of unhappiness.

sorrow — verb