make him sad

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "make him sad" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in contexts where someone's actions or words cause sadness to another person. Example: "The news of his departure will make him sad." Alternative expressions include "bring him down" and "upset him."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

8 human-written examples

I over-tipped him — after the morning ride, it was a relief to see that this money didn't make him sad at all.

The New Yorker

Morris, who has now arguably taken on the mantle of America's greatest living choreographer, has claimed it doesn't make him "sad when dances die".

The Guardian

Did it make him sad to be leaving the place where it all happened, and where visitors have included Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor and Brad Pitt? "No, it did not.

The Guardian

He said Fifa needed to combat "anything that smacks of discrimination and racism", adding the repeated attacks make him "sad".

BBC

Maybe seeing me would make him sad.

Huffington Post

Only saw the bad in people, which his parents feared would make him sad and lonely.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

It'll only make him sadder".

The New Yorker

"It makes him sad".

The New York Times - Sports

That made him sad.

The Guardian - Books

"Fall makes him sad".

The New Yorker

Everything mocked him and made him sad.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the intensity of the sadness you want to convey. While "make him sad" is generally applicable, alternatives like "cause him grief" or "depress him" suggest stronger emotions. Choose the phrase that best fits the context.

Common error

Avoid constructing sentences where the cause of sadness is obscured. Instead of saying, "He was made sad by the event", specify who or what caused the sadness: "The event made him sad".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "make him sad" functions as a causative construction. It expresses the action of causing someone (him) to experience the emotion of sadness. Ludwig AI confirms this as a standard and acceptable construction.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "make him sad" is a grammatically sound and understandable phrase used to describe the act of causing someone to feel sadness. While Ludwig indicates its usage is not extremely frequent, it appears consistently across various contexts, including news, general writing, and even business communications. When choosing this phrase, it's important to consider the specific level of sadness you wish to convey and whether an alternative, such as "cause him sorrow" or "bring him grief", might be more appropriate.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

make him unhappy

Replaces "sad" with its direct synonym "unhappy", keeping the structure identical.

sadden him

Uses the verb form of "sad", making the phrase more concise.

cause him sorrow

Replaces "sad" with "sorrow", emphasizing a deeper emotional distress.

bring him grief

Substitutes "sad" with "grief", suggesting a more intense and prolonged sadness.

depress him

Employs "depress", indicating a more severe and prolonged state of sadness.

leave him feeling blue

Uses the idiomatic expression "feeling blue" to convey sadness.

make him despondent

Uses "despondent", highlighting a state of low spirits and loss of hope.

make him crestfallen

Replaces "sad" with "crestfallen", implying disappointment and dejection.

cause him to be dejected

Expresses the idea of causing sadness through a more formal and descriptive phrase.

inflict sorrow upon him

A more formal and emphatic way to express causing sadness.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "make him sad"?

You can use alternatives like "cause him sorrow", "bring him grief", or "make him unhappy" depending on the context.

Is "make him sad" grammatically correct?

Yes, "make him sad" is grammatically correct. The verb "make" is used in the causative sense, followed by the object "him" and the adjective "sad".

How to use "make him sad" in a sentence?

You can use "make him sad" to describe an action or event that causes someone to feel sadness. For example, "The news of the factory closure will make him sad".

What's the difference between "make him sad" and "make him unhappy"?

The phrases "make him sad" and "make him unhappy" are very similar in meaning. "Unhappy" might suggest a broader sense of dissatisfaction, while "sad" focuses more specifically on emotional sorrow, although they are often interchangeable.