regrettably

adverb

re·​gret·​ta·​bly ri-ˈgre-tə-blē 

1

: to a regrettable extent

a regrettably steep decline in wages

2

: it is to be regretted

regrettably, they could not attend

Examples of regrettably in a Sentence

The progress of the work was regrettably slow.

Recent Examples on the Web

That doesn’t mean that there were not many victims, a disproportionate number of victims that regrettably should have been prevented, maybe by a better or more effective military operation. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 June 2025

But there is going to be an end to this, regrettably. —Kris Holt, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Danos started throwing rocks at it and, regrettably, her phone. —Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2025

Which, regrettably, brings us to Connor Hellebuyck, Oettinger’s counterpart for the Jets, who’s about to enter rarefied air with his third Vezina Trophy. —Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

regrettably

adverb

re·​gret·​ta·​bly ri-ˈgret-ə-blē 

1

: to an extent deserving regret

a regrettably big decline in wages

2

: it is regrettable : unfortunately

regrettably, I could not agree