1
as in heartbroken
expressing or suggesting mourning
gave me a regretful look when I told him we had to move my mother to a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorry
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
was truly regretful that she had yelled at him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of regretful
Simon is angry, regretful, and disappointed at his lack of control.
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The two end up drinking together, and the next morning, Rebecca wakes up in his bed, regretful of the one-night stand.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Tsukasa is 26 and feeling a little wayward, regretful about his late start in figure skating.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regretful
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The two end up drinking together, and the next morning, Rebecca wakes up in his bed, regretful of the one-night stand.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Tsukasa is 26 and feeling a little wayward, regretful about his late start in figure skating.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretful
Adjective
-
She was implicated in the case, with heartbroken Karadec handling her booking himself.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Joe heads back downstairs and Irene looks… heartbroken.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Although not all species of bird can fly (sorry about that, ostriches), many birds do enjoy the power of flight, and this has permitted an almost unlimited diversification of birds, so that birds are now found virtually everywhere on Earth.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But there is one more ingredient, something that has perhaps been buried underneath everything else in the sorry mess of their 2025-26 campaign.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Then, in the Andante movement, the upper strings opened with a glassy sound before the mournful line of the cello entered.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, humpback whale songs have been recorded for human listening, with many describing the songs as having a haunting, mournful quality.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
Todd Kesterson of Kaufman Rossin said his remorseful clients aren't necessarily strapped for cash, but are frequently displeased when their children's fortunes exceed theirs.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
-
His public defender told reporters on Thursday that her client was remorseful.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In a news release shared by the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, investigators said that they were made aware of several theft victims who had things stolen from their cars while attending funeral services at the cemetery, which is located in the 22000 block of Van Buren Boulevard.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Cyrene then instructs her son to appease the nymphs, Eurydice’s companions, and to make funeral offerings to Eurydice’s husband Orpheus.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The professor who gave me the news was polite and professional, apologetic even.—
Kori Schake,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Eventually, he was escorted out of the event space, with Palmer looking concerned for him and apologetic toward her co-stars and the crowd.—
William Earl,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretful. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
