as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
I must regretfully inform you that you are not among those who have been accepted for our internship program
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Recent Examples of regretfully
Both bravely and regretfully, Daniel shared how those feelings led him to treat his friends poorly.
—
Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024
In the bit, host Jimmy Fallon regretfully informed the audience that the singer would no longer be appearing as promised.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2024
Next to him sits Saban, who seems to be looking off regretfully into space.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
Colin has been rather bland in the first two seasons, and regretfully Newton's performance hasn't done much to give him life.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024
In the bit, host Jimmy Fallon regretfully informed the audience that the singer would no longer be appearing as promised.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2024
Next to him sits Saban, who seems to be looking off regretfully into space.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
Colin has been rather bland in the first two seasons, and regretfully Newton's performance hasn't done much to give him life.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for regretfully
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regretfully
Adverb
-
So, Elliott Gould’s character, Legal, sadly dies this season.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Although the movie indicated that, sadly, little in Congress has changed — the same bickering and same patronage — our world has changed.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
In the capital, Kyiv, temperatures well below zero and bitterly cold winds are expected for the next four days at least.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The business relationship appears to have ended bitterly, based on the emails.—
John Diedrich,
jsonline.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The Seahawks came painfully close to becoming back-to-back champions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regretfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regretfully. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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