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
In the bit, host Jimmy Fallon regretfully informed the audience that the singer would no longer be appearing as promised.
—
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2024
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
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
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2024
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
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
-
So, Elliott Gould’s character, Legal, sadly dies this season.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Although the movie indicated that, sadly, little in Congress has changed — the same bickering and same patronage — our world has changed.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 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 union had bitterly opposed Newsom in his race.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
-
On these bitterly cold winter days, nothing sounds better than defrosting in a sauna.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Ludo Lefebvre echoed the urgency, pointing to the painfully deliberate pace of the recovery.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
One of those situations was painfully basic.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
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 10 Feb. 2026.
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