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

Here, regrettably, is Jolly with its legs spread and waiting to receive. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026

Instead, regrettably, the vents are aimed using the curved central touchscreen. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026

Basically, Cleveland has a turnkey offense waiting for its 2027 quarterback, who, regrettably, is still in college. — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

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

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