Meanings
- uncountableThe state or condition of being regretful.
Mervyn thought that he could detect a certain regretfulness in his companion's voice.
1874, Frank Usher, A strange love2 more examples
“I’ll do what I can, monsieur,” he said, jingling the money. “But if there’s to be fighting, the Fleece will lose its good repute forever.” Mornay and Cornbury both laughed at the long face and hollow note of virtuous regretfulness and resignation in his voice.
1903, George Fort Gibbs, The Love of MonsieurA desolating sense of loneliness kept driving him into the city's noisier and more crowded drinking-places, where, under the lash of alcohol, he was able to wear down his hot ache of deprivation into a dim and dreary regretfulness.
1913, Arthur Stringer, The ShadowSynonyms: regret, ruefulness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state or condition of being regretful.
Origin
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Old Frenchre-
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰreh₁d-
- Proto-Germanic*grētaną
- Frankish*grātan
- Old French*greter
- Old Frenchregreter
- Middle Englishregretten
- Englishregret
- Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*pl̥h₁nós
- Proto-Germanic*fullaz
- Englishregretful
- Englishregretfulness
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with regretfulness
All rhymes →Cite this entry
regretfulness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regretfulness
“regretfulness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regretfulness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “regretfulness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regretfulness.
Source: regretfulness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.