regretful

adjective

re·gret·ful ri-ˈgret-fəl

: full of regret : feeling or expressing regret

feeling regretful

a regretful sigh/look

… and all that the three-year difference does is make us laugh and make us regretful about our own adolescences.

Stanley Kauffmann

regretfulness noun

Even more than 40 years after Jones' death, Richards refuses to indulge in any false sentimentality or regretfulness.

Greg Kot

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of regretful was in 1647

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regretful. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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