1
as in heartbroken
expressing or suggesting mourning
gave me a regretful look when I told him we had to move my mother to a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorry
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
was truly regretful that she had yelled at him
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of regretful
He's earned this opportunity by growing into what appears to be a good young man after being, like many of us, a youth full of regretful decisions.
—
Phil Hay, The Athletic, 3 Aug. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for regretful 
Phil Hay, The Athletic, 3 Aug. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for regretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretful
Adjective
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When Tai Shan was sent to China and separated from his parents, Nguyen was heartbroken.—
Christopher Cann,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
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And now, a heartbroken mom has gone viral on TikTok, opening up about losing her 3-year-old daughter to invasive Strep A in 2022.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like, sorry, life isn't some perfect script for everyone.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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Some of those starts were even with MBM—sorry, Garage 66.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Angelo Badalamenti’s mournful, string-laden score draws us in, emphasizing the quaintness of the visuals, while also suggesting a deeper pain at the core of this place.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2025
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The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) shared a sorrowful story across their social media feeds about a mournful looking cat.—
TJ Macias,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Yet none of the people who had new hates felt remotely ashamed.—
Sheila Heti,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
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With your silly smirks your mothers would be ashamed of?—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Not necessarily remorseful about it or sad about it.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Dec. 2024
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Meanwhile, the fans wearing Aaron Judge and Mariano Rivera jerseys who tried to pry the ball from Betts’ glove weren’t exactly remorseful.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The funeral procession that climaxes Emilia Pérez is the damnedest, craziest thing since Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic minions draped kente cloth stoles over their shoulders and kneeled to canonize George Floyd at the Capitol.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Jan. 2025
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On Thursday, dozens of people took part in funeral prayers outside Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah for people killed in Israeli strikes the day before.—
Wafaa Shurafa and Fatma Khaled,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Now, an apologetic Martin, who says the damage to the bluff was unintentional, has won city of Miami approval for an unprecedented fix — hiring a skilled stonemason to recreate the missing top two-and-a-half feet of the exposed, naturally jagged rock outcropping.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2025
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The Guard member was apologetic as people kept coming up, begging to get medication, clothes and insurance papers from their homes.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretful. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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