Sadly has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
Adverb
Adverb
1
in an unfortunate way
"sadly he died before he could see his grandchild"
2
with sadness; in a sad manner
"`She died last night,' he said sadly"
3
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
"he was sadly neglected"
"it was woefully inadequate"
4
In a sad manner; sorrowfully.
"She sadly watched the leaves fall from the ancient oak tree."
In plain English: Sadly means doing something with unhappiness because it is disappointing to see what happened.
"He sadly watched his team lose the final game."
Example Sentences
"He sadly watched his team lose the final game."
adv
"The crowd cheered sadly when they saw their favorite team lose by one point."
adv
"He walked away from the party with a sad look in his eyes and muttered that he felt lonely."
adv
"Sadly, I will not be able to attend your wedding next month due to an unexpected illness."
adv
Origin
The word sadly comes from Middle English by adding the suffix -ly to the adjective sad. It has retained its original meaning of expressing sorrow throughout its history in the language.