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
Stanley Kauffmann
regretfulness
noun
Even more than 40 years after Jones' death, Richards refuses to indulge in any false sentimentality or regretfulness.
—Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Examples of regretful in a Sentence
gave me a regretful look when I told him we had to move my mother to a nursing home
was truly regretful that she had yelled at him
Recent Examples on the Web
Kim’s regretful aria in Act 1 — suspecting his own brother of his father’s murder, Artaserse has mistakenly ordered him to be executed — was a turning point.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Even really successful cast members are a little regretful or self-deprecating about it, or feel anxious even talking about it.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 June 2025
As a holistic therapist, she’s unfortunately seen this issue come up time and time again: individuals who overshare too soon, confuse emotional exposure with connection, and later feel raw, misunderstood, or regretful.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Created in 2019 by Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, the filthy HBO comedy centers around a family of corrupt, fast-talking televangelists led by John Goodman's aging and regretful Eli Gemstone.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 May 2025
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Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Even really successful cast members are a little regretful or self-deprecating about it, or feel anxious even talking about it.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 June 2025
As a holistic therapist, she’s unfortunately seen this issue come up time and time again: individuals who overshare too soon, confuse emotional exposure with connection, and later feel raw, misunderstood, or regretful.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Created in 2019 by Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, the filthy HBO comedy centers around a family of corrupt, fast-talking televangelists led by John Goodman's aging and regretful Eli Gemstone.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for regretful
Cite this Entry
“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regretful. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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