regretfully

adverb

re·gret·ful·ly | \ri-ˈgret-fə-lē

\

Definition of regretfully

1 : with regret : in a regretful way had to regretfully decline the invitation speaking/sighing regretfully Having said all that, I must also say, regretfully, that "The Road to Mecca" seemed somehow unsatisfying to me, though I'm not sure why.— Mimi Kramer

2 —used to say that something is regretted Regretfully, I won't be able to help.

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Examples of regretfully in a Sentence

“I must leave now,” he said regretfully. I must regretfully decline your invitation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Without the Board's prior knowledge, regretfully, the delegation included one Israeli officer. — Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, "Dearborn mosque considers banning Israeli military from entering," 19 May 2018 Three times this has happened to me; once, regretfully, the charge was led by Herr Doktor, who at least was playing a practical joke. — Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, "The Unwritten Rules of Sportsmanship," 15 May 2018 Aaron Rodgers was, regretfully, our second outright miss of the season. — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Assessing PFD's analysis so far after Aaron Rodgers misstep," 19 Oct. 2017 However, the entertainment on the pitch might regretfully be overshadowed by events in the stands by the behaviour of visiting supporters, . — SI.com, "Racist Chants from AS Roma Fans Mars Entertaining UCL Encounter at Stamford Bridge," 19 Oct. 2017 Following the breakup, the father of six headed to Las Vegas, where he’s regretfully turned to a life of gambling. — Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, "Teen Mom OG Star Amber Portwood's Ex Says He's 'Paying the Price' for Botching Relationship," 18 Aug. 2017 A sign on the door said the cafe is regretfully closing. — Nancy Luna, Orange County Register, "Restaurant Closures in Orange County," 7 Feb. 2017 Regretfully many of the flower buds are going to be lost but some might be saved with good care. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Moss poses no risk to azaleas, but it may fight for space," 3 June 2017 Perhaps like some directors, Mr. Gunn fondly or regretfully looks back on a time when studio filmmakers could more or less do their own thing cinematically. — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, "Review: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ Wants That Loving Feeling," 4 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'regretfully.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.