The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word HEART-RENDING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
H
E
A
R
T
-
R
E
N
D
I
N
G
More clues leading to the result HEART-RENDING
- Sad direction taken in trial
- Very sad trying to maintain fashion
- General movement in trial, very sad
- It’s painful to pick up when hot
- Try getting popular on Twitter? Sad
- Dreadfully sad judge popular on social media
- Very sad to find out what’s popular on Twitter
- Fashion in a sense is tragic
- Style in faculty, pitiful
- To try going viral is tragic
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Very sad" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case very sad = heart-rending.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 HEART-RENDING mean?
HEART-RENDING adjective- That causes great grief, anguish or distress.
- That elicits deep sympathy.