as in unfortunate
of a kind to cause great distress
the explorers forged ahead despite the regrettable loss of some of their companions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Thus a wonderful section on The Jew of Malta climaxes in an unfortunate vision of the text as a secret message to Lord Strange, a wealthy and important patron of the arts.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Such an event, let alone two within less than an hour of each other, is both unfortunate and potentially very suspicious.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The tragic death of the Sepulveda family patriarch calls his descendants back to Villa Sepulveda, a Spanish colonial manor in a coconut plantation; but a landslide traps the guests inside, transforming the funeral plans into a supernatural reckoning of sins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Lyles trails in funding for mayoral race Donovan’s campaign seemingly got a big financial boost after the tragic death of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line hit national headlines in early September.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regrettable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regrettable. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share