Sorry means feeling regret or sadness about something; used as an apology; used to ask someone to repeat what they said; or used to express pity or sympathy for another person.
What Does Sorry Mean?
Sorry comes from Old English sarig, meaning distressed or full of sorrow, from the root sar (pain, grief). It is closely related to sore and to the German sehr (very). Over many centuries the meaning shifted from describing deep physical or emotional pain to its modern use as a polite expression of regret and apology. The spelling changed from sarig to sory to sorry during the Middle English period.
Today sorry is one of the most frequently used words in everyday British English. It functions as both an adjective and a standalone exclamation, covering four main meanings: (1) feeling regret about something you did or said; (2) apologising to another person; (3) asking someone politely to repeat themselves; and (4) expressing sympathy or pity for someone's situation.
Because sorry carries strong social weight in British culture — where politeness norms are high — it appears in an enormous range of everyday situations. Understanding when and how to use each meaning will make your spoken English sound far more natural and appropriate.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| She said sorry for the spelling mistake and corrected it immediately. | A2 — apologising for an error |
| I'm sorry, I didn't hear you — could you say that again, please? | B1 — requesting repetition politely |
| He felt sorry for his younger brother, who had failed the exam. | B1 — expressing sympathy / pity for another |
| The manager sent a written apology, saying she was truly sorry for the delay in responding to the complaint. | B2 — formal written apology with adverb intensifier |
| I'm sorry, but I find the argument rather unconvincing; the evidence presented fails to account for several significant counter-examples. | C1 — polite disagreement in academic / formal register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| feel sorry | I feel sorry for anyone who missed the concert. |
| say sorry | He finally said sorry after the argument. |
| feel sorry for yourself | Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take action. |
| terribly sorry | I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. |
| deeply sorry | The company is deeply sorry for the data breach. |
| awfully sorry | I'm awfully sorry — I completely forgot. |
| sorry excuse | That was a sorry excuse for a business plan. |
| sorry state | The garden was in a sorry state after the storm. |
| sorry to hear | I was sorry to hear about your grandmother's passing. |
| sorry sight | The flooded high street was a sorry sight indeed. |
Usage Notes
How to Use Sorry Correctly
- Apology: Use sorry or I'm sorry after something has already gone wrong. For more specific apologies, add for + gerund ("I'm sorry for interrupting") or that + clause ("I'm sorry that I was late").
- Requesting repetition: Say "Sorry?" with rising intonation. This is the standard British English equivalent of "Pardon?" and is considered polite. Avoid just saying "What?" as it can sound abrupt.
- Sympathy / pity: Feel sorry for someone means to sympathise with their situation. Note that feel sorry for yourself has a negative connotation — it implies self-pity rather than genuine distress.
- Polite disagreement: "I'm sorry, but..." is a standard British way to disagree or refuse without sounding aggressive. No genuine apology is implied.
- Adjective use: When used predicatively (after a linking verb), sorry describes a state of appearance or condition: "The car was in a sorry state." This use has a slightly literary or formal tone.
- Intensifiers: Common British intensifiers before sorry include terribly, awfully, dreadfully, truly, and deeply. These are especially common in formal or written English.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I am sorry for to be late.
I am sorry for being late. (sorry + for + gerund, not infinitive)
I am sorry that I am being late.
I am sorry that I was late. (use simple past in the that-clause to refer to a completed action)
Sorry you. (missing pronoun structure)
I'm sorry — or — Sorry about that. (sorry requires a subject or a prepositional phrase)
She said she is sorry but she don't mean it.
She said she was sorry but she didn't mean it. (backshift tenses in reported speech)