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

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, 8 Sep. 2025

This film is here to praise him and, regrettably, bury him, just not in a metaphorical sense. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025

Now a grand finale is upon us in this third film installment, bringing back many franchise regulars such as Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern (regrettably, Maggie Smith, who ruled the roost as the Dowager Countess, passed away in 2024). —Dan Heching, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025

Trump has regrettably already taken off the table NATO membership for Ukraine, which would represent the most credible security guarantee, since Moscow has never attacked a NATO member. —Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 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