regret
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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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:
Asked by a prosecutor if she was embarrassed by her past relationship, she replied, “He was a friend. And I regret being a friend to him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
I am also sensing some self-blame and regret.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I regret it,” he said of his vote for Trump.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Maybe I should have lain down on the floor to block it. I personally regret it," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I’m sorry, Mr. Coleman. I’m not sure that I do. I regret that I’m not able to be much help.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
OpenAI offers some open-weight models and Altman, its chief executive, said last year that he regrets the company’s past stance against the tools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
James did send his regrets to some of his other suitors, posting: "Thank you LA. Miami I'll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!"
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
McElwee refuses to scrub the truth from his personal histories, choosing instead to confront his own regrets head-on.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
And I’ll continue to spill my money-related wins and regrets as I navigate my own financial journey.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Even before all Berkeley’s commitments and promises were formally ironed out, he tendered his regrets to Conant.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
I quickly regretted my words after I cradled Cosmo in my arms to unsuccessfully calm him down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Cher Arabalo, a former Denver sheriff captain, said she moved to the town in 2022 and promptly regretted it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
That’s when Robinson said he regretted what he’d done, Twiggs said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Embarrassed, Stanton went home and wrote an apology to Post, telling her she regretted her “foolish conduct.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Coady-McCombs said she had heard of customers regretting taking part in the bottomless sessions after feeling pressured by friends.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
"None of this is beer-proof let alone waterproof," says Prof Damian Bailey, with only the briefest flicker of somebody regretting their life choices.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
The upshot: People can sometimes end up regretting sharing their stories.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
Minutes later, he was regretting even thinking something nice about the centaur’s technology.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
