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regretful

/rɪˈɡrɛtfəl/ adjective C1 Neutral

Meaning

Feeling sorry or sad about something that has happened or that you have done.
💡 Use 'regretful' to describe a person's emotional response to a past action or event.

Example Sentences

As she gazed at the fading sunset , she felt a pang of regretful nostalgia for the days she had let slip away without cherishing them .
The manager was regretful about the oversight that led to the project's delay and promised to implement measures to prevent future occurrences .
The researcher expressed a regretful acknowledgment of the study's limitations , noting that a larger sample size could have yielded more comprehensive results .

Word in Context

After months of meticulous planning , Hannah found herself standing before the team with a hesitant explanation for why the pilot study would be deferred . She was regretful about the delay , acknowledging that the decision — although pragmatic given the funding constraints — would have ramifications for collaborators who had already rearranged schedules . In hindsight she wished she'd communicated more transparently during the initial deliberations , but the pressure of competing priorities had made full disclosure difficult . Nevertheless , she proposed a revised timeline that balanced methodological rigor and feasibility , hoping this compromise would alleviate the most immediate concerns . If stakeholders accepted the adjusted milestones , the team could reconcile the project's objectives with the limited resources available , whereas outright cancellation would have undermined months of preparatory work . By inviting feedback and documenting the rationale behind each choice , she aimed to restore confidence and to prevent similar misunderstandings in future collaborations .

Common Phrases

Synonyms

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