Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb Painfully; grievously.
  • adverb Extremely; greatly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a sore manner; painfully; sadly; violently; severely; extremely.
  • Sore; sorrowful.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a sore manner; grievously; painfully.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a sore or desperate manner.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in or as if in pain
  • adverb to a great degree

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

sore +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • "Oh, Teddy!" cries she, suddenly, covering her face with her hands, "at times, when I see certain flowers or hear some music connected with the olden days, my heart dies within me, -- I lose all hope; and then I miss you sorely, -- _sorely_."

    Molly Bawn Margaret Wolfe Hamilton

  • She knows that I came besides my business with Mr Austin, partly to try the pulse of the parties here about the reception of two Girls instead of one, and I find that Betsey Mothersole has been at home during their holidays and is going to day to school again sorely against her will.

    Letter 254 2009

  • The 'RINO arguments', as you put it is once again sorely misrepresented in you statement.

    Sound Politics: Statewide Bloodbath 2006

  • Haiti will never become anything unless they get education ... a word sorely missing from this "news" story.

    "MAIN" via Steve in Google Reader 2010

  • The entire thing angers me enough that I remain sorely tempted to give the whole thing up and make it somebody else’s problem.

    Waldo Jaquith - Should I shut down the aggregator? 2006

  • What is it in Jesus Christ that calls the sorely-tempted one to Him?

    Our Master Thoughts for Salvationists about Their Lord Bramwell Booth 1892

  • Mr. Doherty contends that what we "sorely" need as a nation is Ayn Rand's "consistent, passionate, and even heroic defense of American freedom."

    The Right and Rand's No-Comfort Zones 2007

  • In a 1919 study written by Harvard economics professor Robert F. Foerster, Italian immigrants were found to be sorely lacking the American work ethic.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • When every state is slashing social programs for the most vulnerable, this is a welcome, but sorely inadequate, assistance.

    Pavlina R. Tcherneva: Women Want Jobs, Not Handouts Pavlina R. Tcherneva 2010

  • When every state is slashing social programs for the most vulnerable, this is a welcome, but sorely inadequate, assistance.

    Pavlina R. Tcherneva: Women Want Jobs, Not Handouts Pavlina R. Tcherneva 2010

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