regretfully

adverb

re·​gret·​ful·​ly ri-ˈgret-fə-lē 

1

: with regret : in a regretful way

had to regretfully decline the invitation

speaking/sighing regretfully

Having said all that, I must also say, regretfully, that "The Road to Mecca" seemed somehow unsatisfying to me, though I'm not sure why.

—Mimi Kramer

2

—used to say that something is regretted

Regretfully, I won't be able to help.

Synonyms

• agonizingly
• bitterly
• dolefully
• dolorously
• grievously
• hard
• hardly
• inconsolably
• lugubriously
• mournfully
• painfully
• plaintively
• resentfully
• ruefully
• sadly
• sorely
• sorrowfully
• unhappily
• wailfully
• woefully
• wretchedly

Examples of regretfully in a Sentence

“I must leave now,” he said regretfully.

I must regretfully decline your invitation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Both bravely and regretfully, Daniel shared how those feelings led him to treat his friends poorly. —Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024

But the situation is regretfully seeing two conflicting claims from the two parties. —Jade Gomez, People.com, 16 Oct. 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

Word History

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

regretfully

adverb

re·​gret·​ful·​ly ri-ˈgret-fə-lē 

1

: in a way that is full of regret

I must regretfully decline your invitation

2

: I regret : we regret

regretfully, we can't go