Sorrow is a deep sadness that settles into your heart and stays awhile. It's heavier than ordinary disappointment and more lasting than a brief moment of feeling down. When someone experiences sorrow, they might feel it after losing someone they love, saying goodbye to a close friend who's moving away, or watching something precious come to an end.

Sorrow differs from anger or frustration because it's quiet and inward. You might feel sorrow when reading about a historical tragedy, when a beloved pet dies, or when you realize that a happy chapter of your life has closed. The word carries a sense of something lost that can't easily be replaced.

People often describe feeling sorrowful when they're mourning or grieving. A sorrowful expression shows sadness in someone's face and eyes. While sorrow feels painful, it's also a natural and important emotion. Feeling sorrow means you cared deeply about someone or something. Great stories and poems often explore sorrow because it reveals what matters most to people. Over time, sorrow typically softens, though memories of what was lost may remain. The capacity to feel sorrow is part of what makes us human and connects us to others who understand loss.