Meaning & use
regret
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To feel sorry or sad about something you did or did not do.
Grammar: Regret doing something, regret that.
Patterns
- regret doing something
- regret that something
I regret not studying harder.
She regrets leaving the job.
He regrets that he lied.
verbtransitiveformal
To say with sorrow that something is unfortunate, in formal messages.
Grammar: Regret to say/inform.
Patterns
- regret to inform someone
We regret to inform you the flight is canceled.
I regret to say I cannot attend.
nouncountable or uncountable
A sad feeling about a mistake or missed chance.
Grammar: With no regrets.
Patterns
- regret about something
- with regret
She had no regrets about moving.
He left with great regret.
One regret is not traveling.
Word forms
| third person singular | regrets |
|---|---|
| past tense | regretted |
| past participle | regretted |
| -ing form | regretting |
| plural | regrets |
Common combinations
- deeply regret
- I deeply regret my words.
- no regrets
- I have no regrets.
- with regret
- We accept with regret.
- regret to inform
- We regret to inform you.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rue
- Literary, deep sorrow.
- repent
- Religious, includes changing behavior.
- lament
- Express sadness aloud.
- remorse
- Stronger guilt.
Opposites
Word family
- regretful adjective
- feeling sorry
- regrettable adjective
- deserving regret
- regretfully adverb
- with sorrow
Commonly confused: regret or remorse?
regret vs remorse
Remorse is guilty sorrow; regret may be only wishing things differ.
Practice
I regret ___ him the secret; now everyone knows.
Choose one answer.
Regret plus -ing is for something already done. Regret to tell is for announcing news.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “regret”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.