Meanings
present singular third person sadfishes · participle present sadfishing · participle past sadfished · past sadfished
- intransitiveneologismTo post about one's problems online for the sake of attracting attention and sympathy; to engage in sadfishing.
So we've all probably sadfished offline before, but online, there's a whiff of social desperation to it, just like there is any time people overshare on the internet.
2023 September 7, “Why People On Social Media Feel Compelled To Share 'Sadfishing' Posts”, in HuffPost, archived from the original on 09 Jun 20241 more example
Those with what pop psychology calls an anxious attachment style – characterized by a fear of abandonment, a strong need for reassurance, and codependent tendencies – are reportedly more prone to "sadfish" online.
2024 June 13, Olivia Hebert, “The cringey internet trend so many are guilty of: What is Sadfishing?”, in The Independent, London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2024
Origin
Blend of sad + catfish. Equivalent to sad + -fish.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
sadfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sadfish
“sadfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sadfish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sadfish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sadfish.
Source: sadfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.