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:
But he insisted he did not regret launching a joint attack with Israel on Iran.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
As Chris notes, you develop a tendency to regret things, though most of us have less to regret than he does.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
A difficult conversation for half an hour or so is better than years — or even decades — of regret that can end in a painful and pricey divorce.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Travelers described lost loved ones, personal tragedies and battles with insecurity, regret and doubts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
She hugged Cecily’s letter before putting it back in its envelope and felt a pang of regret.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
"The king regrets the lack of agreement to give the country a credible budget that meets the current challenges."
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
The UnidosUS survey of 3,000 Latino voters found that almost a third of Latinas who voted for Trump had regrets about their vote — seven points more than Latino men.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
They don’t wallow in their regrets, but both Harry and Ben are the kinds of guys who have been around, or been dragged around, the track a few times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He previously said he had no regrets over joining LIV and backed organisers to make it sustainable.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
One of the biggest decisions Andy Blevins has ever made, and one of the few he now regrets, never seemed like much of a decision at all.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Mbappe later apologised for his "ill-judged" comments, La Liga said it "deeply" regretted them, and Real followed suit.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Wasserman has said he regretted his correspondence with Maxwell, noting that it happened “long before her horrific crimes came to light.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
“She always regretted buying the items because they always end up sitting on the shelf while her bank balance just got smaller,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
He partly regretted his early effort to make income-tax withholding more efficient, seeing it as a stimulant to the growth of government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
For a moment Taran almost regretted his words.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
She expresses profound love for the two children she has while regretting that she was forced to become a mother before she could give those children the life she believed they deserved.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 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
While West Ham are celebrating their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Ouattara will be regretting his costly decision to try a Panenka in Monday night's tense penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
I waited for half an hour in the bitter cold, regretting that I had not remained in the warm store, but unable to go back inside.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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