1
as in heartbroken
expressing or suggesting mourning
gave me a regretful look when I told him we had to move my mother to a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorry
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
was truly regretful that she had yelled at him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 regretful
Danny White, whose football team is currently ranked No. 5, appears less regretful.
—
Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024
No more bunnies at Petco Petco will stop selling pet rabbits following criticism that the practice led to regretful owners, overwhelmed by bunny-care, Jonathan Limehouse reports.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024
People call it soulless, posting regretful before-and-after photos of house flippers ripping out hardwood in favor of gray laminate or turning warm Midcentury spaces into cold, modern ones.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
We're trained to be regretful about so many things.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for regretful 
Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024
No more bunnies at Petco Petco will stop selling pet rabbits following criticism that the practice led to regretful owners, overwhelmed by bunny-care, Jonathan Limehouse reports.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024
People call it soulless, posting regretful before-and-after photos of house flippers ripping out hardwood in favor of gray laminate or turning warm Midcentury spaces into cold, modern ones.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
We're trained to be regretful about so many things.
—Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for regretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretful
Adjective
-
Monét began her tweet with five heartbroken emojis.Anna Chan, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Animal lovers have been left heartbroken by a dog who has already been adopted and returned to the shelter twice in her young life.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Megan Fox is pregnant and expecting a very emo baby with her on-and-off beau Machine Gun Kelly (or, sorry, mgk).Justin Curto, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
-
There isn't a part of me that wants anyone to feel sorry for me.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
That undoubtedly contributes to the mournful feeling that has enveloped Númenor, which is still dealing with the death of King Tar-Palantir and the fallout of Mount Doom’s eruption, including Míriel’s loss of sight.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
-
Soon a mournful blue light would rise over the islands in the sea.Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Later, Pryor’s widow Jennifer confirmed the rumor, telling TMZ that her late husband was always open about his bisexuality with friends and would not be ashamed that the relationship was revealed publicly.Stephanie Petit, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
-
In Horse Crazy, Indiana’s first and best novel, his unnamed narrator invites a prospective boyfriend to his similarly cluttered apartment and feels ashamed—not of its mess, exactly, but of the sheer number of books on his shelves.Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
When deputies showed up at his home, Colin Gray did not appear remorseful, Ward testified.Devon M. Sayers, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024
-
In jail, her friends had coached her to appear remorseful but not to cry, because no one likes self-pity.Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 28 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
A little over a year later, Dallas County struck a similar deal, with one major difference: While Tarrant County families who couldn’t afford to make funeral arrangements were given an option to donate their relatives’ bodies to the center, Dallas County gave survivors no choice.Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2024
-
The deceased who are buried at the site would likely have been burnt on funeral pyres.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Lanez recorded an apologetic phone call to Pete’s friend that night from jail, but later denied shooting her.Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
-
The resulting track is at once swaggering and apologetic.Tom Roland, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2024
Articles Related to regretful
Thesaurus Entries Near regretful
Cite this Entry
“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretful. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share