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regret

ri-GRET/ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/

Verbregrets, regretting, regretted

Noun pluralregrets

7 meanings of regret

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive
    To feel sad about something you did or did not do, and wish it had gone differently.

    Like wishing you could take back something you already said.

    I regret eating so much cake before the long trip.

    She regretted lending her bike to a stranger.

    Similarrue

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A feeling of sadness about something in your past that you wish had been different.

    Like a heavy feeling that stays after you make a mistake.

    She felt deep regret about never visiting her grandmother.

    His eyes filled with regret as he said goodbye.

    Similarremorse, repentance, contrition, penitence, compunction

    Note
  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    To feel sorry about something, even when it was not your fault.

    Like saying sorry about bad news you did not cause.

    We regret that the concert was canceled.

    The company regrets any trouble the delay has caused.

    Similarmourn, grieve, lament, sorrow, moan

    Note
  4. 4
    nouncountable or uncountable
    Someone who was invited to an event but told the host in advance they could not come.

    By Friday the host had counted ten regrets and forty guests.

    The only regret for the class reunion was Maria, who had to work that night.

  5. 5
    noununcountable
    How much you lose by picking a worse option instead of the best one available.

    Like finding out a different choice would have saved you money.

    Choosing the cheaper tool brought more regret when it broke the next day.

    Her regret was small because both choices worked almost as well.

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    verbarchaictransitive
    To miss someone or something now gone, and feel sad about losing them.

    Like missing a friend who moved far away.

    I regret my childhood home, lost to me these many years.

    He more than ever regretted his home, and with increased desire longed to see his family.
    1845, The Church of England MagazineHere, regretted means missed and felt sad about being away from.
    Note
  2. 7
    nounobsoleteuncountable
    A strong feeling of not liking a person or thing.
    Is it a vertue to have some ineffective regrets to damnation, and such a Vertue too, as shall serve to ballance all our vices?
    1667, Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian PietyHere, regrets means feelings of dislike or turning away from.
    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of regret apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old French regreter meaning "to lament," made from re- plus a root meaning "to weep." It is related to the word greet.