to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.)

He no sooner spoke than he regretted it.

to think of with a sense of loss

to regret one's vanished youth.

a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.

a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.

regrets, a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation

I sent her my regrets.

a note expressing regret at one's inability to accept an invitation

I have had four acceptances and one regret.

noun

contentedness , happiness , satisfaction

verb

be content , be satisfied

noun

affliction , anguish , annoyance , apologies , apology , bitterness , care , compunction , concern , conscience , contrition , demur , disappointment , discomfort , dissatisfaction , dole , grief , heartache , heartbreak , lamentation , misgiving , nostalgia , pang , penitence , qualm , regretfulness , remorse , repentance , ruefulness , scruple , self-accusation , self-condemnation , self-disgust , self-reproach , sorrow , uneasiness , woe , worrynotes:regret carries no explicit admission that one is responsible for an incident , while remorse implies a sense of guilty responsibility and a greater feeling of personal pain and anguish , discontent , discontentment , disgruntlement , letdown , excuse , mea culpa , attrition , compassion , deprecation , rue

verb

apologize , be disturbed , bemoan , be sorry for , bewail , cry over , cry over spilled milk , deplore , deprecate , disapprove , feel remorse , feel sorry , feel uneasy , grieve , have compunctions , have qualms , kick oneself , lament , look back , miss , moan , mourn , repent , repine , rue , weep , weep overnotes:regret carries no explicit admission that one is responsible for an incident , while remorse implies a sense of guilty responsibility and a greater feeling of personal pain and anguish , anguish , bitterness , compunction , demur , disappointment , distress , grief , heartache , heartbreak , lamentation , pang , qualm , remorse , repentance , scruple , sorrow , sorry , woe