# regret

Pronunciation: say "ri-GRET" /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/

## Verb

1. To feel sorry about something that happened or failed to happen, wishing it had turned out otherwise.
   - Simple: To feel sad about something you did or did not do, and wish it had gone differently.
   - _Many travelers regret not buying insurance before a long journey._
   - _He bitterly regretted the words the moment they left his mouth._
3. To feel sorry about something, whether or not one played any part in it.
   - Simple: To feel sorry about something, even when it was not your fault.
   - _We regret to inform you that the position has been filled._
   - _The airline regrets the inconvenience caused by the cancellation._

## Noun

2. Emotional pain over something done or experienced in the past, mixed with a wish that it had been different.
   - Simple: A feeling of sadness about something in your past that you wish had been different.
   - _A wave of regret swept over him when he saw the empty chair._
   - _She carried a quiet regret for the chances she never took._
4. An invited guest who has informed the organizer in advance of being unable to attend.
   - Simple: Someone who was invited to an event but told the host in advance they could not come.
   - _The planner tallied the regrets before finalizing the seating chart._
   - _Every regret on the list meant one fewer plate to set._
5. The amount of avoidable loss that comes from choosing a worse option than the best one available.
   - Simple: How much you lose by picking a worse option instead of the best one available.
   - _Analysts measured the regret of each strategy against the best possible outcome._
   - _A good policy keeps regret low even when the future is uncertain._

## Verb

6. To feel the loss or absence of someone or something; to mourn what is gone. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To miss someone or something now gone, and feel sad about losing them.
   - _We regret the loved ones whom death has taken from us._
   - _She long regretted the country of her birth, left behind in youth._

## Noun

7. Dislike or aversion toward a person or thing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A strong feeling of not liking a person or thing.

## Origin

From Middle English regretten, from Old French regreter ("to lament"), formed from the intensive prefix re- plus a Frankish root meaning "to weep, mourn." It traces back through Proto-Germanic to Proto-Indo-European roots for weeping and sadness, and is related to the word greet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/regret (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).