The act of saying sorry; an apology.
"His words were not just empty phrases, but a genuine expression of sorrow for his mistake."
In plain English: A sorry is an old-fashioned word for a mistake or something that has gone wrong.
"He felt deep sorry for his mistake and promised to make it right."
bad; unfortunate
"my finances were in a deplorable state"
"a lamentable decision"
"her clothes were in sad shape"
"a sorry state of affairs"
without merit; of little or no value or use
"a sorry horse"
"a sorry excuse"
"a lazy no-count, good-for-nothing goldbrick"
"the car was a no-good piece of junk"
Regretful or apologetic for an action.
"I am truly sorry that I missed our meeting yesterday because my car broke down on the way to work."
In plain English: Sorry describes something that is full of holes or weak spots, making it easy to break.
"The sorry state of the kitchen made me want to order takeout."
Usage: Use this adjective to describe someone who feels regret about their own actions, such as in the phrase "a sorry mistake." Do not use it interchangeably with the interjection used when apologizing directly to another person.
Expresses regret, remorse, or sorrow.
"I am truly sorry for letting you down when I promised to help move your furniture last weekend."
The word "sorry" comes from the Old English sāriġ, which originally meant feeling grief or sorrow rather than making an apology. This sense of sadness traveled into Middle English as sory and eventually became the modern term for expressing regret.