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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
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
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
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretfully
Adverb
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The veteran actor has four Oscar nominations but has sadly gone 0 for 4, losing Best Supporting Actor for Platoon (1986), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), and The Florida Project (2017), and Best Actor for At Eternity's Gate (2018).—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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His abhorrent behavior is sadly too common across the restaurant industry, from the finest dining to the humblest street stalls.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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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
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The bitterly cold wind chills will linger through the morning commute, then gradually improve this afternoon as winds ease and temperatures climb.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
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Democrats and Republicans clashed bitterly over the issues last week as hundreds of concerned parents and advocates traveled to the state Capitol complex to oppose the measures in front of three different committees on the same day.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Without a pipeline, as Europeans learned painfully when the Nord Stream pipeline was sabotaged, replacing gas in a tight market is very difficult.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
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By then Liverpool had fallen behind in painfully avoidable fashion from a corner.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 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
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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 22 Mar. 2026.
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