Meaning & use
regretted
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“regretted” is a form of “regret”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past form of regret: felt sorry or sad about something you did or failed to do, and wished it had gone differently.
Grammar: Takes an object or a gerund: regretted the decision, regretted leaving.
Patterns
- regretted doing something
- regretted something
- regretted that someone had done something
She regretted telling him the secret as soon as she said it.
He deeply regretted missing his grandfather's last birthday.
Nobody regretted the long walk once they saw the view.
verbtransitiveformal
Past form of regret used formally to say that you are sorry to give bad news or to announce something unwelcome.
Grammar: Followed by 'to' plus an infinitive of announcing verbs: regretted to inform, regretted to say.
Patterns
- regretted to inform someone
- regretted to say that something
The airline regretted to inform passengers that the flight was canceled.
The director regretted to say that the project had lost its funding.
They regretted to announce the closure of the branch.
Word forms
| base form | regret |
|---|---|
| third person singular | regrets |
| -ing form | regretting |
Common combinations
- deeply regretted
- He deeply regretted his harsh words to his sister.
- regretted doing something
- She regretted buying such an expensive coat.
- regretted not doing something
- I regretted not asking for her phone number.
- later regretted
- They later regretted selling the farm.
- bitterly regretted
- He bitterly regretted leaving school so early.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rued
- Rued is literary and suggests lasting sorrow, while regretted is the ordinary everyday word.
- lamented
- Lamented implies expressing sadness out loud, while regretted can be a private feeling.
- deplored
- Deplored suggests strong disapproval of something, not just sorrow over your own choice.
- repented
- Repented adds the idea of moral guilt and wanting to change, which regretted does not.
Opposites
Word family
- regret verb
- to feel sorry about something
- regret noun
- a feeling of sadness about something done or not done
- regretful adjective
- feeling or showing sorrow
- regrettable adjective
- unfortunate and to be sorry about
- regrettably adverb
- unfortunately
Commonly confused: regretted or regretful vs regrettable?
regretted vs regretful vs regrettable
Regretful describes the person who feels sorry, while regrettable describes the thing that is unfortunate.
Practice
He regretted ___ the old house, because prices doubled the next year.
Choose one answer.
To say you feel sorry about something you already did, regret takes a gerund: regretted selling. 'Regretted to sell' would mean being sorry about announcing a sale.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “regretted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.