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

Yes, there are plenty of lackluster movies that fall under that umbrella, but to dismiss Shudder’s original content entirely is to miss out on some great (and regrettably under-seen) films. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

In his valuable study of slavery in Martinique, Dale Tomich regrettably invoked Hall in this regard. —Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025

The United Nations, established in the aftermath of the Second World War to maintain peace and security, is regrettably no longer able to fulfil its core function in the face of today's crises and conflicts. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025

First baseman Josh Naylor (95 career homers) stands as one glaring exception after he was regrettably dealt to San Diego in the Andrew Cashner trade in 2016. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 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