Meaning of "regret" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD REGRET

From Old French regrete, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse grāta to weep.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF REGRET

regret  [rɪˈɡrɛt]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF REGRET

Regret is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb regret in English.

WHAT DOES REGRET MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Regret

Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors. Regret is often expressed by the term "sorry." Regret is often a feeling of sadness, shame, embarrassment, depression, annoyance, or guilt, after one acts in a manner and later wishes not to have done so. Regret is distinct from guilt, which is a deeply emotional form of regret — one which may be difficult to comprehend in an objective or conceptual way. In this regard, the concept of regret is subordinate to guilt in terms of its emotional intensity. By comparison, shame typically refers to the social aspect of guilt or regret as imposed by the society or culture, which has substantial bearing in matters of honor. It is also distinct from remorse, which is a more direct and emotional form of regret over a past action that is considered by society to be hurtful, shameful, or violent. Unlike regret, it includes a strong element of desire for apology to others rather than an internal reflection on one's actions, and may be expressed in order to reduce the punishment one receives.

Definition of regret in the English dictionary

The first definition of regret in the dictionary is to feel sorry, repentant, or upset about. Other definition of regret is to bemoan or grieve the death or loss of. Regret is also a sense of repentance, guilt, or sorrow, as over some wrong done or an unfulfilled ambition.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO REGRET

PRESENT

Present

I regret

you regret

he/she/it regrets

we regret

you regret

they regret

Present continuous

I am regretting

you are regretting

he/she/it is regretting

we are regretting

you are regretting

they are regretting

Present perfect

I have regretted

you have regretted

he/she/it has regretted

we have regretted

you have regretted

they have regretted

Present perfect continuous

I have been regretting

you have been regretting

he/she/it has been regretting

we have been regretting

you have been regretting

they have been regretting

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I regretted

you regretted

he/she/it regretted

we regretted

you regretted

they regretted

Past continuous

I was regretting

you were regretting

he/she/it was regretting

we were regretting

you were regretting

they were regretting

Past perfect

I had regretted

you had regretted

he/she/it had regretted

we had regretted

you had regretted

they had regretted

Past perfect continuous

I had been regretting

you had been regretting

he/she/it had been regretting

we had been regretting

you had been regretting

they had been regretting

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will regret

you will regret

he/she/it will regret

we will regret

you will regret

they will regret

Future continuous

I will be regretting

you will be regretting

he/she/it will be regretting

we will be regretting

you will be regretting

they will be regretting

Future perfect

I will have regretted

you will have regretted

he/she/it will have regretted

we will have regretted

you will have regretted

they will have regretted

Future perfect continuous

I will have been regretting

you will have been regretting

he/she/it will have been regretting

we will have been regretting

you will have been regretting

they will have been regretting

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would regret

you would regret

he/she/it would regret

we would regret

you would regret

they would regret

Conditional continuous

I would be regretting

you would be regretting

he/she/it would be regretting

we would be regretting

you would be regretting

they would be regretting

Conditional perfect

I would have regret

you would have regret

he/she/it would have regret

we would have regret

you would have regret

they would have regret

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been regretting

you would have been regretting

he/she/it would have been regretting

we would have been regretting

you would have been regretting

they would have been regretting

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you regret
we let´s regret
you regret

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to regret

Past participle

regretted

Present Participle

regretting

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «REGRET»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «regret» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of regret

bemoan · bewail · bitterness · compunction · contrition · cry over spilt milk · dejection · deplore · disappointment · grief · lament · lamentation · miss · mourn · penitence · remorse · repentance · rue · ruefulness · sadness · self-reproach · sorrow · unhappiness

TRANSLATION OF REGRET

Find out the translation of regret to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of regret from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «regret» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 遗憾
• Translator English - Spanish: pesar
• English: regret
• Translator English - Hindi: अफसोस
• Translator English - Arabic: نَدَم
• Translator English - Russian: сожаление
• Translator English - Portuguese: pesar
• Translator English - Bengali: দু: খ প্রকাশ
• Translator English - French: regret
• Translator English - Malay: Menyesal
• Translator English - German: Bedauern
• Translator English - Japanese: 後悔
• Translator English - Korean: 후회
• Translator English - Javanese: Getun
• Translator English - Vietnamese: sự ân hận
• Translator English - Tamil: வருத்தம்
• Translator English - Marathi: पश्चात्ताप
• Translator English - Turkish: pişmanlık
• Translator English - Italian: rammarico
• Translator English - Polish: żal
• Translator English - Ukrainian: шкода
• Translator English - Romanian: regret
• Translator English - Greek: μεταμέλεια
• Translator English - Afrikaans: jammer
• Translator English - Swedish: ånger
• Translator English - Norwegian: anger

10 QUOTES WITH «REGRET»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word regret.

1

Gillian Anderson

I have a tendency to go through my life at full speed and as a one-man band, and so I don't generally stop and take in other people enough to develop many relationships. I'm starting to regret that a bit. I want to change it.

2

Scott Baio

I regret losing certain women, but it was always my fault.

3

Lucille Ball

I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.

4

Lucille Ball

I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very appreciative of it because I had no talent.

5

Tallulah Bankhead

The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again I'd make all the same mistakes - only sooner.

6

Jenson Button

I haven't got the yacht any more. The cost of running it was crazy. But it was so much fun while I had it. I don't regret it.

7

Stephen Cohen

But critics of the war have no reason to regret their views.

8

Maryam D'Abo

I don't regret doing 'The Living Daylights'. If I hadn't done Bond, I wouldn't have been in America doing my series, and I would have had a different life.

9

Maximillian Degenerez

Live riotously lest not you regret the minutes, moments, hours and days of time gone by.

10

Eliot Engel

I very much regret that our administration has pushed the whole issue of Kosovo to the back burner.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «REGRET»

Discover the use of regret in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to regret and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Regret: the persistence of the possible

" For anyone who has ever questioned, experienced, or avoided regret, here is a provocative and challenging look at this enduring emotion.

Janet Landman, 1993

Mists of Regret: Culture and Sensibility in Classic French Film

The book demonstrates the value of this hermeneutic approach for one set of texts and one period, but it should very much interest film theorists and film historians of all sorts.

Dudley Andrew, 1995

The Sea of Regret: Two Turn-of-the Century Chinese Romantic ...

Taken together, this pair of novels provides a fascinating portrait of early twentieth-century China's struggle with its own cultural, ethical, and sexual redefinition.

Patrick Hanan, 1995

Regret the Error: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and ...

How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech Craig Silverman. AP's spokeswoman Kelly Smith Tunney told the New York Times . . . the quotations went unnoticed because they were "innocuous" and "tangential." The sound ...

Craig Silverman, 2009

Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda: Overcoming Regrets, Mistakes, and ...

This reference describes exercises and techniques that can change one's self-defeating thoughts and behaviors

Arthur Freeman, Arthur M. Freeman, Rose DeWolf, 1989

No-regret Potentials in Energy Conservation: An Analysis of ...

The theoretical framework leads to a typology of no-regret potentials comprising six types, which are each characterised by phenomena and causes of market failure. The typology provides the basis for two case studies.

Katrin Ostertag, 2002

Living and Dying Without Regret

My prayer is that this book will both open your eyes to the way you live, and if found appropriate, provoke change.

Joe Prainito, 2008

Regret: A Possession Story

Now that Jag has returned with a new girl at his side, does Indy even have a place in the Resistance? This eBook-exclusive story includes special excerpts from both Possession and Surrender.

Elana Johnson, 2012

Regret-Free Living: Hope for Past Mistakes and Freedom From ...

Helps empower readers to make the best decisions for their lives with no regrets, instructing them on how to make peace with their past to reach emotional and spiritual freedom.

Stephen Arterburn, John Shore, 2011

Random Regret-based Discrete Choice Modeling: A Tutorial

This tutorial presents a hands-on introduction to a new discrete choice modeling approach based on the behavioral notion of regret-minimization.

Caspar G. Chorus, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «REGRET»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term regret is used in the context of the following news items.

Jason Derulo Doesn't Regret Relationship With Jordin Sparks

On Jordin Sparks: “I think everything happens for a reason. I think I was in that relationship for a reason, and I don't regret anything, but at the same time I know ... «Just Jared, Jul 15»

Hardly Any Women Regret Having an Abortion, a New Study Finds

Ninety-five percent of women who have had abortions do not regret the decision to terminate their pregnancies, according to a study published last week in the ... «TIME, Jul 15»

CANNES WATCH: Andie MacDowell Speaks on Her Cannes Regret

CANNES, France — Andie MacDowell has great memories of the Cannes Film Festival, but also one big regret — the year she decided to skip it. "You know 'Sex ... «New York Times, May 15»

Bacary Sagna 'does not regret' leaving Arsenal for Manchester City …

Bit-part role: Sagna has been used sparingly by City. Bacary Sagna says he has no regrets over joining Manchester City – despite his lack of first-team action. «mirror.co.uk, Apr 15»

Shaq: Sometimes I regret leaving the Magic

Now, O'Neal, who was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame Friday, admits he regrets leaving the Magic for the Lakers, reports the Associated Press. «CBSSports.com, Mar 15»

'Regret and respect', no apology in Sharad Yadav statement on Irani

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial comments against HRD minister Smriti Irani last week and said he respected ... «Hindustan Times, Mar 15»

Hillsborough commander David Duckenfield's regret at not …

Hillsborough commander David Duckenfield told the inquests into the 96 deaths of his regret at not considering where fans would go after an exit gate was ... «Liverpool Echo, Mar 15»

Combative Jones acknowledges regret over Super Bowl seating

DALLAS (AP) — Called into a courtroom to testify, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sparred Tuesday with an attorney for fans suing the NFL over a seating mess at ... «Yahoo News UK, Mar 15»

Sonam Kapoor regrets not completing studies

“My biggest regret is I've not completed my studies. But I'm going to finish my graduation this year. I'm going to fill in the forms to get my undergraduate degree in ... «The Express Tribune, Feb 15»

Ex-UKIP councillor Rozanne Duncan: 'No regrets' over comments

A councillor expelled by the UK Independence Party over what were described as "deeply racist comments", says she does not regret what she said. Rozanne ... «BBC News, Feb 15»