Regretfully

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. With a feeling of sorrow or disappointment, one conveys an acknowledgment of past actions that are regretted
2. In a sad and remorseful manner, an individual recognizes unfortunate choices or actions that lead to an unfavorable outcome
3. In a manner marked by sadness and remorse, one reflects on past decisions resulting in regret or dissatisfaction

Etymology: "Regretfully" is a plain formation: the adjective "regretful" with the suffix "-ly" attached, turning it into an adverb describing how something is done. The adjective itself is built from "regret" and "-ful," and the root behind "regret" carries a surprisingly strong sense of grief. It comes from Old French "regreter," a compound of "re-" (again) and a word meaning "to lament" or "to bewail," which the French borrowed from Frankish "*grātan," meaning to weep or cry out. So the original notion was crying out over a loss, and the sense of wishing one had acted differently developed later on top of that grief. The "-ful" in "regretful" comes from Old English "-ful," meaning "full of," which is why "regretful" once described someone full of sorrow over something. "-ly" comes from Old English "-līċe," the ancestor of the modern suffix that forms adverbs from adjectives. Put together, "regretfully" describes an action carried out in a manner full of that lament.

Synonyms: sadly, sorrowfully, remorsefully

Antonyms: willingly, cheerfully, happily