(a.) Extremely sad, sorrowful, painful.

absorbing acerbic acid acidulous acrid acrimonious acute affecting afflictive agitating agonizing asperous astringent atrocious barbed biting bitter bleak blue caustic cheerless comfortless corrosive cramping cruel cutting deep deep-felt deepgoing deplorable depressing depressive disastrous discomforting dismal dismaying distressful distressing disturbing dolorific dolorogenic dolorous double-edged dramatic dreary driving earnest edged effective emotional escharotic excruciating exquisite extreme fierce forceful forcible gnawing grave grievous griping gutsy hard harrowing harsh heartfelt homefelt hurtful hurting imperative impressive incisive indelible intense irritating joyless keen lamentable lively melancholy miserable mordacious mordant mournful moving nervous nose-tickling painful paroxysmal pathetic penetrating peppery peppy perturbing pervading piercing piquant piteous pitiable pitiful pointed powerful profound punchy pungent racking racy regrettable rigorous rough rueful sad saddening sarcastic sardonic scathing sensational severe sharp shooting sincere sinewed sinewy slashing snappy sore sorrowful sour sparkling spasmatic spasmic spasmodic spicy spirited stabbing stinging stirring strident striking stringent strong tart telling tormenting torturous touching tragic trenchant uncomfortable upsetting vehement vigorous violent virulent vital vitriolic vivacious vivid woebegone woeful wretched zesty