Artwork by Mary McKernan

Stockpile varying ways to describe sadness from mildly unhappy to gut wrenching heartbreak. Below are a list of phrases I've gleaned from reading. Start a file labelled 'sadness'. Add the below descriptions to it. Keep adding your own, from reading, TV and everyday life. Add it to your 'Describing Emotions' folder (see my posts on Describing Anger and Describing Fear for material for your folder.)

This 'sadness' file will come in handy when searching for the exact phrase to describe a character's melancholy. It will inspire you to come up with your own descriptions.

Sadness

A wave of sadness

Irremediable sorrow (impossible to cure/put right)

A gloom overcame me

My cried turned to whimpers

I felt layers of unsettling emotion

A sob rose in my throat

A pining melancholy

A plaintive cry (mournful)

A great pang gripped my heart

I cried in a low moan

My eyes were prickling with tears

I cried in exasperation

I cried furiously

I cried bitter tears

I felt a sting of melancholy and confusion

I felt a great wrench of sadness

My heart twisted

Tears pool my eyes

A great sense of weariness sweeps over me sucking my energy with it.

My voice, thick with tears

The words are strangled in my throat

His eyes misted over

She had an expression of sad confusion on her face

There were tracks of tears on her face

Her face contorted and she shook her head and wept

He said with sadness in his voice

He had a lingering sadness in his eyes

He had large sad eyes

I watched her eyes widen and rim with tears

Her face contorted as though she was struggling not to cry

The look in her eyes was desolate

Her face becomes etched with sadness

Sadness flitted across her face

The bitterness in her face faded to weary sadness

Grave sadness in his face

Her eyes are shining with the threat of tears

The haunted look in her eyes

Darkness gathered in her eyes and filled it

Her voice, thick with tears

The haunted look in her eyes

Tears brimmed her eyes

Her face was set in resigned sad lines

She was holding her eyes in such a way that kept the tears inside the lids

I felt a wave of sadness

I feel a prick of sadness

I saw a glint of sadness in his eye

His eyes were dull with sadness

My heart was flooded with sadness

Shaking with grief

She said brokenly

My throat thickens

Sadness washed over him

She shook her head sadly

Resigned sadness in her eyes

My voice cracks

He sighs deeply, miserably

Her face crumples like a used tissue