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
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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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of regretful
Ma and Tsai give strong performances that cast the dynamic as one not of scorn but of regretful misunderstanding.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
Checkout pages create friction to prevent regretful purchases.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately the hardest part to this is not to live in a regretful state.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2025
As expected, many regretful habits are attached to nighttime routines–when some productive distractions or extra comforts added to the process can at first feel like a godsend.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regretful
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
Checkout pages create friction to prevent regretful purchases.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately the hardest part to this is not to live in a regretful state.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2025
As expected, many regretful habits are attached to nighttime routines–when some productive distractions or extra comforts added to the process can at first feel like a godsend.
—Devonne Goode, Parents, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regretful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretful
Adjective
-
Raymond Cheadle, Honesty’s great-uncle, told WUSA the family, including the girl’s dad, is heartbroken.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
-
Pepe has the power to make two heartbroken Islanders immediately forget about their old connections.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
That, dear reader, is the sorry state of login security today.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
These are the kind of fragrances that strangers will stop you on the street to ask about (sorry).—
WIRED,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Once abundant on the island, this ground-foraging dove – with an earthy red-brown plumage and a quiet, mournful call – disappeared from the wild by 1972.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Several of her patients left mournful messages on the Yelp page of her Arcadia practice.—
Clara Harter
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Riri’s too ashamed of all the crime she’s enabled since her visit to Wakanda to reach out to her mentor.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
-
The Trump administration's level of sheer corruption is appalling and Paramount should be ashamed of putting its profits over independent journalism.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
2 July 2025
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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
The legendary actor and Jaws star issued a remorseful statement on Friday, explaining why fans wouldn't be able to catch him at the annual event held this year on Saturday and Sunday at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo in Tampa.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss shared a remorseful video message over the weekend, revealing he had been hospitalized with viral bronchitis and would have to cancel his appearance at fan event SharkCon.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
April 23, 2025 But a papal funeral is a papal funeral, and those present for the funeral Mass on Saturday, along with millions watching online or on TV around the world, will still observe a solemn moment involving sumptuous Catholic pageantry.—
Elisabetta Povoledo,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Maliciously or willfully disturbing a funeral, memorial service, procession or burial ceremony. Threatening, quarreling or challenging to fight someone, or fighting.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Saira’s overly apologetic personality renders her insufferable for most around her, but not Willow (Gemma Chua-Tran), a musically inclined, goth, non-binary person.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
8 July 2025
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Your tone should be matter-of-fact and confident, not apologetic.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regretful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretful. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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