regret

noun

Emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing.

(decision theory) The amount of avoidable loss that results from choosing the wrong action.

A person invited to an event who was unable to attend, but notified the organizer of this beforehand; a nonattendee.

(obsolete) Dislike; aversion.

verb

To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.

(more generally) To feel sorry about (any thing).

(archaic, transitive) To miss; to feel the loss or absence of; to mourn.

Roots

rere- · Latin · again, intensive gretergret- · Old French · to weep, lament

Words related to regret

regretfuladj compunctiousadj remorsefullyadv ruefullyadv ruefuladj remorsefuladj regretfullyadv regrettableadj sorrowfulnessn sorryadj apologizev unrepenting repentantlyadv contritelyadv repentantadj contriteadj dolefulnessn unhappinessn pityn

Synonyms & related words for regret

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of regret — including ruefulness, repent, sorrow, regretfulness, sorriness, rue. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to regret

Explore words related to regret — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include regretful, compunctious, remorsefully, ruefully, rueful, remorseful, regretfully, regrettable. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for regret

Common synonyms for regret include ruefulness, repent, sorrow, regretfulness, sorriness, rue, remorse, compunction — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does regret come from?

The word regret breaks down into 2 roots of Latin and Old French origin: re-, from Latin re (“again, intensive”); and gret, from Old French greter (“to weep, lament”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.