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 WebBut in the past two seasons, that has flipped: Stanford is in the top 100 in offensive efficiency but sorely lacking on defense (157th last season, 144th this season).—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 That sort of focus has been sorely lacking for decades.—Justin Ling, WIRED, 19 Feb. 2024 In a world that can sometimes feel sorely lacking in love and loving-kindness, there’s no better advice than that.—Allison Hope, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 This kind of self-deprecating humor is sorely missing in American politics.—Audrey Fahlberg, National Review, 7 Feb. 2024 The California Film Commission’s announcement comes at a time when local film and TV jobs are sorely needed, following a mass production slowdown and industry contraction prompted by the overlapping writers’ and actors’ strikes.—Christi Carras, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 The Technology As the National Mine Action Strategy notes, research on mine clearance has been sorely lacking.—Justin Ling, WIRED, 19 Feb. 2024 Leonard has missed just five games, his 24.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds sorely missed against another worthy Western Conference foe in the Warriors.—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Padilla’s 15 points (all from 3-point range) and seven assists, then, were sorely needed, the senior continuing to hit massive shots and control the game for USC in massive moments.—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sorely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
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