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

The world, regrettably, has a habit of changing. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

But lately, the chaos in the United States made the song seem regrettably apropos. — Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

But the obstacles blocking James from joining the Wolves are, regrettably, manifold — money being the first and foremost. — Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Our original predictions about the abject lack of viability have been proven regrettably accurate. — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 May 2026

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