Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Eliciting or deserving regret.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Admitting of or calling for regret.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of an event, action, or state, allowing or deserving regret.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective deserving regret

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

regret +‎ -able

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Examples

  • We remain at a high level of alert, but sometimes it is possible that they slip through our defences as they did in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi, which I described as regrettable 'blots' on our record….

    Notable & Quotable 2011

  • Now, first, I have to say that I admire Lord Hoffman's style, and am glad that someone else is as sceptical as I am of what he calls a regrettable tendency, and what I call human rightsism.

    Archive 2008-06-01 2008

  • Top officials briefing the news media on what they call a regrettable mistake.

    CNN Transcript Mar 25, 2008 2008

  • Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan was disappointed with Mr. Les's remarks, which he described as "regrettable."

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed ROBERT MATAS 2011

  • "Inappropriate and regrettable" is just the beginning, sir.

    (Updated): Wilson's opponent raises more than $500K 2009

  • There is thus nothing much surprising, even if there is something more than a little regrettable from the standpoint of principle, about the narrow-almost - (but-not-quite) - to-the-point-of-nothingness opinion today.

    Balkinization 2007

  • Now this, while regrettable, is hardly surprising.

    The most inaccurate quiz ever superversive 2006

  • "Although there exist differences in the judicial system (between the two countries), it is quite regrettable from the Japanese side," Kyodo news agency cited Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama as saying before the execution was announced.

    Analysis 2010

  • "Although there exist differences in the judicial system (between the two countries), it is quite regrettable from the Japanese side," Kyodo news agency cited Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama as saying before the execution was announced.

    Analysis 2010

  • "Although there exist differences in the judicial system (between the two countries), it is quite regrettable from the Japanese side," Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama as saying before the execution was announced.

    BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition 2010

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