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

But regrettably, since [Canadian Prime Minister] Pierre Trudeau’s administration, there’s been this drawdown in our defense. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026

These flashbacks, regrettably, take up significantly more run time than the baseball and are tragically boring. —James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026

There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors, too. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Love, regrettably, couldn’t make the Sundance premiere. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 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