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

The world, regrettably, has a habit of changing. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

His legacy at this point is confined to the unfunded mandates of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and the equally unfunded obligations created by ignoring a statute of repose for child abuse claims, regrettably upheld by a bare majority on the Maryland Supreme Court. — George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026

Decisions made by previous councils regarding planning and development have contributed to the challenges the town now faces, and regrettably, current residents are experiencing the consequences of those decisions. — Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026

Our original predictions about the abject lack of viability have been proven regrettably accurate. — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 May 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