A definition

[erudito]

"I'm sorry": a phrase

Comments

[catsidhe]

Then there's always the big one: “I'm sorry you feel that way.”

Oh yes

[erudito]

That is such a gem of false empathy, isn't it?

Re: Oh yes

[doushkasmum]

It can also be a kinder way of saying "suck it up, Sunshine" to people who are bewailing the unfairness of the universe, or to people who think you are responsible for their problem.

Re: Oh yes

[erudito]

Context is everything!

[omnot]

And then there is the genuine "I am sorry for your loss" which is intensely heartfelt, not intended to alleviate the discomfort of the person saying it (even if it might, a bit).

Perhaps it translates as "I feel sad for you" in the most sincere and loving way that term can be used.

Bones

[erudito]

Booth uses it a lot in Bones in the context of talking to someone dealing with the death of a loved one. It is a statement of regretful empathy in that context.

Re: Bones

[omnot]

Yes. Your three definitions appear to pertain to apologies, but there are uses of the word "sorry" which do not imply wrongdoing on anyone's part.

Re: Bones

[erudito]

True: it was only the context of apologies I was considering. But empathetic regret does extend further than that.

[findalexh]

I've always liked;

"I'm sorry"

"Yes, you are. (a sorry excuse for a human being)"

Frequently people don't realise I'm insulting them.

[quatrefoil]

And there's a subset of 3 which means something to the effect of 'I've now said the expected thing and you have to forgive me. Meanwhile I'll keep up the behaviour that upset you in the first place'. Also under the heading of narcissism.

And, as I think I've said before, there's a meaning which is 'I feel genuine sorrow that you are hurt, without necessarily believing that I caused the hurt'.