Synonyms for regret
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Remorse — emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been…
remorse, grief, guilt, compunction, sadness, contrition, penitence, repentance, qualm, bitterness, self-reproach, nostalgia, woe, rue dated, sorriness rare, unsatisfaction rare
Other
regretfulness rare, ruefulness rare
Verb
Definitions
- n. 1
Emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing.
- v. 1
To feel sorry about (any thing).
I regret that I have to do this, but I don't have a choice.
Related words
Choose the right word
To mourn is to feel or express sadness or distress because of some loss, affliction, or misfortune; mourning is thought of as prolonged, grief or regret may be transient.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- guilt The fingerprints on the knife attest to her guilt.
- grief There are five stages of grief. Stage one: denial.
- remorse He has shown remorse for the unfortunate incident.
- compunction Tom has no compunction about engaging in usury.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| regret | steady | |
| guilt | rising | |
| grief | rising | |
| remorse | rising | |
| compunction | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- rue1, woe1
- 5 letters
- grief1, guilt1, mourn1, qualm
- 6 letters
- sorrow2, repent2, grieve1, lament2, bewail, repine
- 7 letters
- sadness2, remorse2, deplore2
- 9 letters
- nostalgia3, penitence, deprecate3, sorriness
- 10 letters
- bitterness3, repentance3, contrition3, ruefulness
- 11 letters
- compunction3
- 13 letters
- regretfulness
- 14 letters
- unsatisfaction
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (sorrow2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- regret