What does regretting mean?
Regretting is the present participle of the verb “to regret,” meaning to feel sorrow, disappointment, or remorse about something that has happened, especially a past choice, action, or decision. It is often stronger than simply being sorry and can suggest a wish to undo something or a recognition of its consequences. In continuous constructions, it emphasizes an ongoing state of remorse: a person may be regretting a decision for years or regretting words spoken in anger. The form also has a formal public-announcement use, particularly in the expression “regret to inform,” where it introduces unwelcome news. Regretting can therefore carry personal, emotional, and sometimes institutional connotations. It is distinct from the adjective “regretful,” which describes a person or situation that feels regret, while “regretting” describes the activity of experiencing regret.
verbTo feel sorrow, disappointment, or remorse about a past action, decision, or outcome. It can also be used formally to express sorrow before announcing unwelcome news.
- Experiencing sorrow, disappointment, or remorse about a past action, decision, or outcome.
- Used in formal announcements, especially in the expression “regret to inform,” to express sorrow before giving unwelcome information.
"She has been regretting her decision to leave the city for years."
"He is regretting the words he said during the argument."
"We regret to inform you that the application was not successful."
Regretting is memory’s way of asking the past a question it can never answer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regretting come from?
The word “regret” entered Middle English from Old French regret, which was influenced by Anglo-Norman usage and ultimately derives from Latin regretum, a term associated with lamentation or complaint. The modern English sense developed from an earlier idea of sorrow or reproach into the familiar meanings of remorse, sorrow, and disappointment. Related English forms such as “regrettable” and “regretful” preserve the same historical root and semantic development.
Related word forms
How regretting is actually used
Regretting is the present participle of “regret” and normally takes an object, as in “regretting the decision.” It can also occur before another verb in formal usage, as in “regretting to inform.”
Easily confused with regretting
Regretting is the present-participle form of the verb “to regret,” whereas regretful is an adjective describing someone who feels regret.