What does regretted mean?
Regretted means that someone feels sorry or disappointed about a past action, choice, or loss. It is the past tense and past participle of regret, and it is especially common when describing decisions that cannot now be reversed or events that had unintended consequences. The word can express mild regret, deep disappointment, or, in more serious contexts, remorse over something a person has done. It may also function as a participial adjective: a decision can be described as regretted by those affected by it. Regretted is common in formal writing, official statements, correspondence, and careful speech, but it is not limited to formal contexts. Its familiar verb form regret appears in ordinary conversation and literary prose. Although regretted can sound more emotionally loaded than simply saying someone was sorry, it does not necessarily imply moral fault; its force depends on the circumstances and the intensity expressed by the sentence.
The past tense and past participle of regret: to feel sorry or disappointed about a past action, choice, or loss.
"He regretted dismissing the warning his colleague had given him."
A past choice or act is commonly described as regretted, especially when the speaker wishes to acknowledge disappointment or responsibility.
Describing an action, decision, or event that is viewed with sorrow or disappointment.
"The cancellation was deeply regretted by the students who had planned to attend."
This participial use is common in formal and editorial writing.
A decision can be regrettable before it is made—and regretted only after the door has closed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regretted come from?
The English word regret entered Middle English from Anglo-French regret, a borrowing ultimately derived from Medieval Latin regretum, a noun meaning lamentation or outcry. In English, it developed the sense of sorrow or disappointment over something past, and its past form and participle came to carry the same meaning. The same base produced regretful and regretfully, while regret remains a cognate of the modern French noun regret, whose accent marks a different pronunciation.
Related word forms
How regretted is actually used
The word is formal but widely understood in both British and American English. It often communicates disappointment about a past decision or event, though it can also imply personal remorse when the regretted action was culpable.
Easily confused with regretted
Regrettable describes something that causes regret, whereas regretted describes the feeling of regret or an action viewed with regret.