as in unfortunate
of a kind to cause great distress
the explorers forged ahead despite the regrettable loss of some of their companions
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Recent Examples of regrettable
But his draft-day trades in recent years have been particularly regrettable, a reality that was amplified on Sunday.
—
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
But the courses fuse education with promotion, selling a picture of the world where defensive gun use is a regrettable but likely occurrence, and where self-defense insurance is a necessary part of any gun owner’s tactical tool kit.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
An hour-and-16 minute weather delay might have been the least-regrettable aspect of the Panthers’ ugly Week 1 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Field.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Given an even sketchier character outline, Foster — who takes the gold in a movie that’s the Olympics of bad wigs — just sails over the top, taking his cue from a wardrobe of regrettable ‘70s fashions, with chunky gold chains nestled in a thick carpet of chest hair.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for regrettable
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
But the courses fuse education with promotion, selling a picture of the world where defensive gun use is a regrettable but likely occurrence, and where self-defense insurance is a necessary part of any gun owner’s tactical tool kit.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
An hour-and-16 minute weather delay might have been the least-regrettable aspect of the Panthers’ ugly Week 1 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Field.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Given an even sketchier character outline, Foster — who takes the gold in a movie that’s the Olympics of bad wigs — just sails over the top, taking his cue from a wardrobe of regrettable ‘70s fashions, with chunky gold chains nestled in a thick carpet of chest hair.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for regrettable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regrettable
Adjective
-
Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott joined the rest of his teammates in having a tough day Thursday after learning of the tragic death of defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, who took his own life at the end of a police chase in Frisco.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regrettable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regrettable. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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