sorely

adverb

sore·​ly ˈsȯr-lē How to pronounce sorely (audio)
Synonyms of sorelynext
1
: in a sore manner : painfully
2
: very, extremely
sorely needed changes

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of sorely in a Sentence

You will be sorely missed. She provided some sorely needed help. The house is sorely in need of paint. He is sorely lacking in social skills.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
David’s way of wielding curiosity to get to common ground and policy that benefits the average American and the country’s leadership in the world – and his affable nature and good humor – will be sorely missed. — Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 There's also no denying that Memphis will sorely miss Desmond Bane, who was arguably its best two-player over the last few years before being traded to the Magic in June. — Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025 Yu Darvish returned to action on Monday, which should help a starting rotation that has sorely missed him and also Michael King, who has been out since late May with a shoulder injury. — The Athletic Mlb Staff, New York Times, 8 July 2025 The newspaper offices even had a sorely underused test kitchen. — Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for sorely

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sorely was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Sorel-Tracy
sorely
sore shank
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sorely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sorely. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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Kids Definition

sorely

adverb
sore·​ly ˈsō(ə)r-lē How to pronounce sorely (audio)
ˈsȯ(ə)r-
: in a sore manner

More from Merriam-Webster on sorely

Nglish: Translation of sorely for Spanish Speakers

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