The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word GRIEVOUS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
R
I
E
V
O
U
S
More clues leading to the result GRIEVOUS
- Serious? You for French after German, religious studies and English
- Deplorable Gove is involved with utterly ruthless leaders
- Sad bird losing tail that is very restricted
- Ours give off colour, causing harm
- Serious complaint not initially plaguing second person in Paris
- Doctor gives our outcome to be severe
- Give sour concoction that’s atrocious
- Releasing rogue is very shameful
- Heavy make-up overusing toner, essentially off-putting
- Severe virus almost goes active
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sad" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sad = grievous.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does GRIEVOUS mean?
GRIEVOUS adjective- Causing grief, pain or sorrow.
- Serious, grave, dire or dangerous.