regretful

adjective

re·​gret·​ful ri-ˈgret-fəl How to pronounce regretful (audio)
: full of regret : feeling or expressing regret
feeling regretful
a regretful sigh/look
… and all that the three-year difference does is make us laugh and make us regretful about our own adolescences.Stanley Kauffmann
regretfulness noun
Even more than 40 years after Jones' death, Richards refuses to indulge in any false sentimentality or regretfulness. Greg Kot

Examples of regretful in a Sentence

gave me a regretful look when I told him we had to move my mother to a nursing home was truly regretful that she had yelled at him
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Tsukasa is 26 and feeling a little wayward, regretful about his late start in figure skating. Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025 Between plummeting resale values, trade-in rejections, vandalism with swastika graffiti and stickers on their cars, a growing movement of regretful Cybertruck owners are disguising their cars to avoid harassment, with some pointing their fingers directly at Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 The post quickly gained attention as people shared a variety of responses, from regretful admissions to justifications. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025 Just practice the regretful smile that should accompany the refusal. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for regretful

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of regretful was in 1647

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Cite this Entry

“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regretful. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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