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
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Ambiguity fuels risk, and risk, sadly, often fuels the potential for escalation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rae sadly died in 2018 after being diagnosed with bone cancer.—
Michele Corriston,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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The Thrombeys argue bitterly about politics, money, and immigration.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The federal government shutdown enters its 21st day – headed toward its fourth week – as Democrats and Republicans remain bitterly divided over how to resolve rising health care costs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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When cases do move forward, justice is often partial and painfully slow, with proceedings stretching on for years and often failing to bring those ultimately responsible to justice.—
Scott Griffen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Even if inflation was falling, prices were still rising – just more slowly, and from painfully high levels.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regretfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretfully. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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