I. re ‧ gret 1 W3 /rɪˈɡret/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle regretted , present participle regretting ) [transitive]
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ regrettably , ↑ regretfully ; adjective : ↑ regrettable , ↑ regretful ; verb : ↑ regret ; noun : ↑ regret ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: regreter ]
1 . to feel sorry about something you have done and wish you had not done it:
Don’t do anything you might regret.
regret doing something
I regret leaving school so young.
regret (that)
He was beginning to regret that he’d come along.
2 . [not in progressive] formal used in official letters or statements when saying that you are sorry or sad about something:
We regret any inconvenience caused to our customers.
regret (that)
I regret that I will be unable to attend.
regret to say/inform/tell
I regret to inform you that your contract will not be renewed.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ deeply/greatly
I deeply regretted what had happened.
▪ bitterly (=with a feeling of great sadness)
I bitterly regretted my decision to leave.
▪ sincerely
The airline sincerely regrets any delays to passengers.
▪ very much
We very much regret that there will be job losses.
▪ instantly/immediately
‘No,’ she blurted out, instantly regretting her response.
■ phrases
▪ live to regret something (=regret it in the future)
If you don’t go, you may live to regret it.
II. regret 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ regrettably , ↑ regretfully ; adjective : ↑ regrettable , ↑ regretful ; verb : ↑ regret ; noun : ↑ regret ]
1 . [countable usually plural, uncountable] sadness that you feel about something, especially because you wish it had not happened
regret about
I have no regrets about leaving.
great/deep regret
She has already expressed deep regret for what happened.
with regret
I decided with some regret that it was time to move on.
It is with great regret that I must decline your offer.
to sb’s regret
I lost touch with her, much to my regret.
2 . give/send your regrets formal to say that you are unable to go to a meeting, accept an invitation etc:
My father was ill and had to send his regrets.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ great/deep regret
I accepted his resignation with great regret.
▪ bitter regret (=when you feel sad and angry)
To the bitter regret of his party, he refused to call an election.
▪ sb’s biggest regret
Her biggest regret was not having children.
▪ sb’s only regret
My only regret is that my parents did not live to see this day.
■ verbs
▪ have regrets
I have absolutely no regrets.
▪ express regret
The President expressed his regret at the deaths.
■ phrases
▪ a pang/twinge/stab of regret literary (=a sudden short feeling of regret)
Kate watched her go with a pang of regret.
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THESAURUS
▪ guilt the feeling you have when you have done something you know is wrong:
Divorce often leaves people with feelings of guilt.
▪ shame the feeling of being guilty or embarrassed that you have after doing something that is wrong, when you feel you have lost people’s respect:
I was too scared to help him, and I was filled with shame.
▪ regret a feeling of sadness about something, especially because you wish it had not happened:
Kate watched her go with a pang of regret.
▪ remorse a strong feeling of being sorry for doing something very bad:
a murderer who showed no remorse
▪ contrition formal a feeling of being guilty and sorry for something wrong that you have done:
The company CEO expressed contrition for the errors that led to the crash.
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He sounded full of contrition.
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They wanted to perform some kind of act of contrition (=do something that shows you feel sorry for something ) .
▪ penitence formal a feeling of being sorry for something that you have done wrong, when you do not intend to do it again:
He expressed genuine penitence at the harm he had done her.
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a period of reflection and penitence
▪ conscience the part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is morally right or wrong:
My conscience has been troubling me ever since.