regret
[ ri-gret ]
/ rɪˈgrɛt /
verb (used with object), re·gret·ted, re·gret·ting.
to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.): He no sooner spoke than he regretted it.
to think of with a sense of loss: to regret one's vanished youth.
noun
a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.
a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.
regrets, a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation: I sent her my regrets.
a note expressing regret at one's inability to accept an invitation: I have had four acceptances and one regret.
QUIZZES
Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Words nearby regret
Origin of regret
SYNONYMS FOR regret
1 deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan, mourn, sorrow, grieve. 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM regret
re·gret·ter, nounre·gret·ting·ly, adverbun·re·gret·ted, adjectiveun·re·gret·ting, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for regret
British Dictionary definitions for regret
regret
/ (rɪˈɡrɛt) /
verb -grets, -gretting or -gretted (tr)
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to feel sorry, repentant, or upset about
to bemoan or grieve the death or loss of
noun
a sense of repentance, guilt, or sorrow, as over some wrong done or an unfulfilled ambition
a sense of loss or grief
(plural) a polite expression of sadness, esp in a formal refusal of an invitation
Derived forms of regret
Word Origin for regret
C14: from Old French regrete, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse grāta to weep
usage for regret
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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