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

Grant, regrettably, was ranked 36th and last for his work on 10 snaps, though that’s too small a sample size to make any conclusions whatsoever. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Now that praise came a long time ago and, regrettably, the pizzeria’s founder, Domenico De Marco, died in 2022. — Matt Cortina, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

This is not some idle fare -- the family is heaping trust in AI that could regrettably backfire on them. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

While there’s seemingly no limit to the stylish market totes on offer this summer, there is, regrettably, a limit to how many will fit in my closet. — Natalie Cantell, InStyle, 26 July 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