regret
Americanverb (used with object)
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regrets,
present (3rd person singular)
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regretted,
past participle, past
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regretting
present participle
noun
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regrets
plural
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a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.
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a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.
- Antonyms:
- joy
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regrets, a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation.
I sent her my regrets.
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a note expressing regret at one's inability to accept an invitation.
I have had four acceptances and one regret.
verb
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to feel sorry, repentant, or upset about
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to bemoan or grieve the death or loss of
noun
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a sense of repentance, guilt, or sorrow, as over some wrong done or an unfulfilled ambition
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a sense of loss or grief
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(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
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
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regretfulnessnoun
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regretternoun
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regretfuladjective
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regrettableadjective
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unregrettedadjective
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unregrettingadjective
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regretfullyadverb
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regrettablyadverb
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regrettinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regretsimple
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regretssimple
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have regrettedperfect
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has regrettedperfect
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am regrettingprogressive
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are regrettingprogressive
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is regrettingprogressive
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have been regrettingperfect progressive
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has been regrettingperfect progressive
Past
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regrettedsimple
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had regrettedperfect
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was regrettingprogressive
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were regrettingprogressive
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had been regrettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regret
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English regrete, regretten (verb), from Middle French regreter, Old French, equivalent to re- re- + -greter, perhaps from Germanic ( cf. greet 2)
Explanation
To regret something is to wish it had never happened. Wish you hadn't reached for that fourth piece of chocolate cake? You regret it. Regret is often called a useless emotion, because you can only regret what has already taken place. It's too late to change things, so all that's left to do is regret. Regret can also function as a noun, as in the feeling of regret you have when you realize that you should have been nicer to your kid sister and should have not locked her into the dog crate for the afternoon. You often hear people exclaim "No regrets!" when they talk about their life choices, but we're dubious because who doesn't have at least one horrible outfit in their memory that makes them cringe with a feeling of regret?
Vocabulary lists containing regret
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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List 14
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"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"That's a regret to have put my family through because they were living the cancer with me."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Papi said he doesn’t regret coming illegally, because he needed a job and sneaking in wasn’t frowned on at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Those were precious years of work and fun, and we can’t recall anything we regret having not bought.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But Haworth offered his view, which he may now regret.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Deeply religious and devoted to his faith, Karl says, “I do not regret one thing. What we did, I’ll never regret. If we had to, I’d do it again.”
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Do you have any regrets, looking back at when were you out there?
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I live with many regrets and sincerely apologize to anyone I may have hurt through my actions,” said the onetime mogul, pale and sitting in a wheelchair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
And when she steps onto the court in a Sparks jersey for the last time Thursday, she will do it without regrets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Thomas Tuchel regrets not eating any of the grass at the Azteca Stadium after England's World Cup win against Mexico.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Here’s a possibility: Judy already regrets telling her boyfriend about her nose job, or so Fleur says.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
The MoD said it was fully committed to supporting the inquiry and that it regretted that it was "not as prompt or consistent as it should have been" in disclosing the documents.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
I asked Cramer if he regretted telling the world about medbeds.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Another client told him that a year after they moved into a community where there are several data centers, they regretted it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I saw the Lilith Fair documentary last year and got FOMO, I kind of regretted not playing” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The moment I spoke I regretted my words, for the secret, inscrutable look came back in his eyes again, and once again I suffered the intolerable discomfort that floods one after lack of tact.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
“I don’t like to go through life regretting anything. I want to make sure I can look back and be like, ‘Hey, I tried it out.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
“I don’t think anyone is regretting the wars, but maybe we’ll be sorry we didn’t do more,” Winner said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
As in the less conclusive first season, it feels engineered to deliver the characters to happy, or relatively happy, endings, and to send viewers out not regretting their investment of time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Donath interviewed 23 mothers, each of whom emphasised the difference between their feelings of regretting motherhood and how they felt towards their children.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
I walk along the track, squinting against the bright sunlight, already regretting my words to Effie.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
