regret

[ ri-gret ]

verb (used with object)

, re·gret·ted, re·gret·ting.

1. to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.):

   He no sooner spoke than he regretted it.

   Synonyms: grieve, sorrow, mourn, bemoan, bewail, lament, deplore

   Antonyms: rejoice

2. to think of with a sense of loss:

   to regret one's vanished youth.

noun

1. a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.
2. a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.

   Antonyms: joy

3. regrets, a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation:

   I sent her my regrets.

4. a note expressing regret at one's inability to accept an invitation:

   I have had four acceptances and one regret.

regret

/ rɪˈɡrɛt /

verb

1. may take a clause as object or an infinitive to feel sorry, repentant, or upset about
2. to bemoan or grieve the death or loss of

noun

1. a sense of repentance, guilt, or sorrow, as over some wrong done or an unfulfilled ambition
2. a sense of loss or grief
3. plural a polite expression of sadness, esp in a formal refusal of an invitation

Usage

Regretful and regretfully are sometimes wrongly used where regrettable and regrettably are meant: he gave a regretful smile; he smiled regretfully; this is a regrettable (not regretful ) mistake; regrettably (not regretfully ) , I shall be unable to attend

Derived Forms

• reˈgrettably, adverb
• reˈgretfully, adverb
• reˈgretful, adjective
• reˈgretter, noun
• reˈgrettable, adjective
• reˈgretfulness, noun

Other Words From

• re·gretter noun
• re·gretting·ly adverb
• unre·gretted adjective
• unre·gretting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of regret¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English regrete, regretten (verb), from Middle French regreter, Old French, equivalent to re- re- + -greter, perhaps from Germanic ( greet ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of regret¹

C14: from Old French regrete , of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse grāta to weep

Synonym Study

Regret, penitence, remorse imply a sense of sorrow about events in the past, usually wrongs committed or errors made. Regret is distress of mind, sorrow for what has been done or failed to be done: to have no regrets. Penitence implies a sense of sin or misdoing, a feeling of contrition and determination not to sin again: a humble sense of penitence. Remorse implies pangs, qualms of conscience, a sense of guilt, regret, and repentance for sins committed, wrongs done, or duty not performed: a deep sense of remorse.

Example Sentences

The 42 pages chronicle their approximately two-month long romance, including a letter of regret for breaking up sent a year later.

From Fortune

In a later recounting of the story, Xu’s father said his greatest regret was asking the police whether they might still recover their money.

From MIT Technology Review

Xu’s father later said his greatest regret was asking the officer whether they might still get their money back.

From MIT Technology Review

The higher the regret, the higher the chance of choosing that action next time.

From Singularity Hub 

It includes an algorithm called the Monte Carlo Counterfactual Regret Minimization, which evaluates all future actions to figure out which one would cause the least amount of regret.

From Singularity Hub 

Like his old man, he keeps it reined in, but when talking about fishing, a true regret seeps out.

From The Daily Beast

Scalise has called the talk, which he delivered in a hotel outside New Orleans, “a mistake I regret.”

From The Daily Beast

And his understandable expressions of regret—now that his book is tanking—come as too little, too late.

From The Daily Beast

The report said the CIA expressed regret for not ultimately punishing him.

From The Daily Beast

Trierweiler has also expressed regret over the tweet in a recent interview with the U.K. Observer.

From The Daily Beast

That Lawrence, whom he looked upon almost as a son, should take up arms against the South was to him a source of endless regret.

From Project Gutenberg

Never before in human experience had such a display of kindly feeling and profound regret been witnessed in similar circumstances.

From Project Gutenberg

She abruptly turned and went into the house, and much to Lawrence's regret he did not see her again.

From Project Gutenberg

I rather regret now that I did not play my solos, but perhaps it is just as well to leave them until another time.

From Project Gutenberg

The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her, gave her no regret, no longing.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• anguish
• annoyance
• apology
• bitterness
• concern
• contrition
• disappointment
• discomfort
• dissatisfaction
• grief
• heartache
• heartbreak
• misgiving
• nostalgia
• qualm
• remorse
• repentance
• sorrow
• uneasiness
• worry