Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Sorry for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Welcome. Today's word is sorry — usually an adjective or exclamation, pronounced SORR-ee, with the IPA /ˈsɒr.i/.
Narrator: Sorry expresses regret, apology, or sympathy; it can also describe something in a poor, pitiful state.
Narrator: In plain English, you say sorry to apologise, to show you feel for someone, or to admit something is in a sad condition.
Narrator: The word comes from Old English sarig, meaning pained or sorrowful, rooted in 'sar' — sore — the ache of regret.
Narrator: Interestingly it is linked to 'sore', not 'sorrow', though the three feel like a family of pain and regret.
Narrator: Today it does many jobs — 'I'm sorry' to apologise, 'so sorry' for sympathy, and 'a sorry sight' for something pitiful.
Narrator: Its register is everyday and polite, famously common in British English, where a quick sorry smooths almost any moment.
Narrator: Remember it this way: sorry is regret in a single word. One small sorry can mend a great deal.
Speaker A: Oh — sorry! I didn't see you there in the doorway.
Speaker B: No worries. You British folk say sorry for everything, don't you?
Speaker A: Ha, true! But I'm genuinely sorry I'm late — the train was delayed.
Speaker B: Quick tip — 'I'm sorry' can mean apology or sympathy. 'Sorry for your loss' is sympathy, not an apology.
Speaker A: Right. So 'sorry I broke it' is an apology, but 'so sorry to hear that' is comfort.
Speaker B: Exactly. And mind 'a sorry state' — that means something is in poor, pitiful condition, like a sorry old car.
Speaker A: Is 'apologies' a synonym?
Speaker B: In tone, yes — 'my apologies' is more formal; 'sorry' is warmer and everyday. Same idea, different polish.
Speaker A: Helpful. So I'll keep my sorry sincere and not overuse it.
Speaker B: Wise — a meant sorry means far more.
Speaker B: Today we'll use the word sorry to prompt an AI for error messages, apologies, and graceful failure states.
Speaker A: Useful — error screens are everywhere, so a sorry theme fits friendly failure handling perfectly.
Speaker B: Let's start with a 404 page.
Prompt: Design a friendly 404 page with a Sorry, this page was not found headline, a calm illustration, a search box, and one clear button that takes the user back to the home page.
Speaker B: Opening with sorry tells the AI to keep the tone kind, so the error feels human, not cold.
Speaker A: Useful. What about a form error?
Prompt: Write polite form error messages that start with a soft sorry, explain exactly what went wrong, and tell the user how to fix each field in plain, friendly language.
Speaker B: Now the database — keep names plain.
Prompt: Design a database schema for a support app with tables for tickets, users, and replies, where each reply can be marked as a sorry apology message, and an index on the ticket status.
Speaker A: Clear. Could one prompt build the whole tool?
Prompt: Build a simple feedback tool where unhappy users get a sorry message, can describe the problem, and an admin dashboard shows how many sorry apologies were sent this week.
Speaker B: For outages, lean on honesty.
Prompt: Create a maintenance screen with a sincere sorry, a short note that we are fixing things, an estimated return time, and a button to get notified the moment the app is back.
Speaker A: One more — a failed payment?
Prompt: Write a failed-payment message that begins with sorry, reassures the user no money was taken, lists two common reasons, and offers a clear Try again button beneath.
Speaker B: See the pattern: the word sorry steers the AI toward kind, honest, human error handling. Gentle and reassuring.
Speaker A: Love it. Sorry means soften the failure — I'll keep it for every error and apology prompt.
Sorry — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary