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
Teenagers look around and see adults thinking back on the year, whether wistfully, regretfully, triumphantly or gratefully.
—
Dr. Marlena Corcoran, Forbes.com, 29 Dec. 2025
The polite way to decline an invite to a wedding is to wish them well, thank them for inviting you and regretfully decline.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
For the role of Desmond, Wilder turned to Swanson, who in real life had also once existed among Hollywood’s loftiest ranks at the height of her career during the Silent Era of the 1920s and '30s, but had gradually — but not regretfully — followed other directions when her stardom waned.
—Scott Huver, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Both bravely and regretfully, Daniel shared how those feelings led him to treat his friends poorly.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Dr. Marlena Corcoran, Forbes.com, 29 Dec. 2025
The polite way to decline an invite to a wedding is to wish them well, thank them for inviting you and regretfully decline.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
For the role of Desmond, Wilder turned to Swanson, who in real life had also once existed among Hollywood’s loftiest ranks at the height of her career during the Silent Era of the 1920s and '30s, but had gradually — but not regretfully — followed other directions when her stardom waned.
—Scott Huver, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Both bravely and regretfully, Daniel shared how those feelings led him to treat his friends poorly.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretfully
Adverb
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With his partner Nick Pihakis, Scott franchised out a few locations of his restaurant across the Southeastern US, but sadly news broke this week that the restaurants are facing multiple lawsuits for unpaid bills and loans.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 May 2026
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To your point, there’s just so many red carpets now, so sadly the moment doesn’t linger anymore.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
6 May 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The trial has dragged on for six years in a case that has bitterly divided the Israeli public.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The eight men at the center of this book shared the common experience of being born before the Civil War, when this country was bitterly divided over slavery.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Magic Mountain removed Revolution’s simple lap bars in 1992 and installed over-the-shoulder restraints — resulting in head-banging headaches for dismayed riders and making the coaster painfully unrideable.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
The meme was dark, ridiculous and painfully accurate.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Adverb
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For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regretfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretfully. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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