French word

tristement

Pronunciation

IPA/tʁistəmɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adverbsadly

Example

Elle a tristement souri.

She smiled sadly.

Illustration for tristement (sadly)

More examples

Il regarda la photo tristement.

He looked at the photo sadly.

Core concept

A subdued smile or action carries a visible weight of sadness.

Common phrases

  • sourire tristement

    smile sadly

  • regarder tristement

    look sadly

Similar words

malheureusement: With regret over an unwanted outcome or difficult situation.

Definition in French

Signifie « avec tristesse », formé sur l'adjectif triste par le suffixe -ment.

Word origin

Tristement combines triste, inherited from Latin tristis, with -ment, which developed from Latin mente, an ablative form of mens.

Usage tips

  • Tristement describes the manner of an action, while malheureusement usually marks an unfortunate situation rather than a sad manner.

Other meanings

  • mournfullyadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word