regret
pronunciation
How to pronounce regret in British English:
UK [rɪˈɡret]
How to pronounce regret in American English:
US [rɪˈɡret]
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- Noun:
- sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment
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- Verb:
- feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
- feel sad about the loss or absence of
- decline formally or politely
- be sorry
Word Origin
- regret
- regret: [14] The origins of regret are not altogether clear, but it may mean etymologically ‘weep over again’. It was borrowed from Old French regreter, which could have been based on a prehistoric Germanic verb *grētan ‘weep’ (source of archaic English greet ‘weep’).
- regret (v.)
- "to look back with distress or sorrowful longing; to grieve for on remembering," late 14c., from Old French regreter "long after, bewail, lament someone's death; ask the help of" (Modern French regretter), from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + -greter, possibly from Frankish or some other Germanic source (compare Old English grætan "to weep;" Old Norse grata "to weep, groan"), from Proto-Germanic *gretan "weep." "Not found in other Romance languages, and variously explained" [Century Dictionary]. Related: Regretted; regretting. Replaced Old English ofþyncan, from of- "off, away," here denoting opposition, + þyncan "seem, seem fit" (as in methinks).
- regret (n.)
- "pain or distress in the mind at something done or left undone," 1530s, from the verb, or from Middle French regret, back-formation from regreter (see regret (v.)).
Antonym
Example
- 1. Many industrialists in so paulo now regret that .
- 2. The money would leave behind only regret .
- 3. My only regret was that I didn 't rob the church .
- 4. China 's leaders may soon regret their encouragement .
- 5. We very much regret the error .