as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
I must regretfully inform you that you are not among those who have been accepted for our internship program
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Recent Examples of regretfully
Next to him sits Saban, who seems to be looking off regretfully into space.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
The new city manager, who makes a fraction of her predecessor, has regretfully received some very ugly messages.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 18 June 2024
Your email included a list of insecticides used that do give control but regretfully not all the pests are eliminated.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2024
Colin has been rather bland in the first two seasons, and regretfully Newton's performance hasn't done much to give him life.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
The new city manager, who makes a fraction of her predecessor, has regretfully received some very ugly messages.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 18 June 2024
Your email included a list of insecticides used that do give control but regretfully not all the pests are eliminated.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2024
Colin has been rather bland in the first two seasons, and regretfully Newton's performance hasn't done much to give him life.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretfully
Adverb
-
It was sadly demolished in 1980 to make way for a parking lot, but its legacy lives on in the new club.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Ella’s story is touching yet sadly not unique.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Taylor makes a persuasive case for how artists can grow, if incrementally and maybe bitterly, amid so much numbing digital noise.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Fede knows the truth, but Roberto doesn’t, and Fede has held that over Antonio ever since, with Antonio bitterly blaming himself for his wife’s death.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
That’s especially true, painfully so, for recent college graduates.—
Phil Blair,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
That’s another high hurdle, because the ACA credits split Republicans painfully.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regretfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretfully. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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