regrettable

adjective

re·​gret·​ta·​ble ri-ˈgre-tə-bəl How to pronounce regrettable (audio)
: deserving regret

Examples of regrettable in a Sentence

His decision to quit is regrettable. It was a regrettable mistake.
Recent Examples on the Web But for Garde, striking a deal with a beer company remains a regrettable decision. George Ramsay, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024 The 2010 Hot 100 No. 1 remains an extremely contentious song within his discography, with many fans deriding it as a regrettable EDM-era throwaway and other fans telling those fans to hush and just fist-pump along with the hook. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 Some of the changes are excellent and some regrettable. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024 Certainly, many of the film's twists don't hold up in today's political climate, but as a (then) modern riff on Psycho, context is key to some otherwise regrettable creative liberties. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2023 This means that the use of offensive, derogatory or insulting language alone does not automatically turn every regrettable incident into a hate crime. Douglas S. Lavine, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2024 The estate setting is glorious, and Fennell brings disquieting undertones of subtle menace to her tale of excess and obsession—even to a seemingly innocuous scene featuring a regrettable karaoke performance of Rent. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2023 My most regrettable investing move was not investing soon enough. Josh Beckerman, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024 Unlike her parents, who have committed a handful of regrettable gaffes (including going on holiday to Greece during a Covid lockdown), Catharina-Amalia seems to have her finger on the pulse of the nation. Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regrettable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of regrettable was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near regrettable

Cite this Entry

“Regrettable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regrettable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

regrettable

adjective
re·​gret·​ta·​ble ri-ˈgret-ə-bəl How to pronounce regrettable (audio)
: deserving regret

More from Merriam-Webster on regrettable

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