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.
Neither damning nor satiric, W. is oddly wistful, almost regretful — rare sentiments in a Stone film. Will Leitch, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2024 The r/Anxiety subreddit is filled with folks who report feeling panicky, empty, regretful, or guilty as day transitions to night. Lauren Mazzo, SELF, 16 Oct. 2024 The irony is that songwriter Ezra Koenig and his buddies can’t relinquish memories, which inform, on the transportive B-side, the most somber, regretful music of their career. Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024 Danny White, whose football team is currently ranked No. 5, appears less regretful. Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near regretful

Cite this Entry

“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regretful. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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