regrettable

English

Etymology

regret +‎ -able

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtəbəl

Adjective

regrettable (comparative more regrettable, superlative most regrettable)

1. Able to be regretted, especially deserving of regret.

   The officers' actions were regrettable, yes, but there's nothing to be done now but to relocate everyone to the mainland in a calm and orderly manner.

   • 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:

     Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
     B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
     Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir.

Related terms

• regret
• regrettably
• regretter
• regretful
• regretfulness
• regretfully

Translations

of an event, action, or state, allowing or deserving regret

• Belarusian: сумны (sumny)
• Bulgarian: достоен за съжаление (dostoen za sǎžalenie)
• Catalan: lamentable
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: politováníhodný (cs)
• Dutch: betreurenswaardig (nl)
• Finnish: harmillinen (fi)
• French: regrettable (fr)
• Georgian: დასანანი (dasanani)
• German: bedauerlich (de), bedauernswert (de)
• Hungarian: sajnálatos (hu)
• Ido: regretinda (io)
• Italian: riprovevole (it), deplorevole (it), increscioso (it) m, deprecabile (it)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khmer: គួរអាយសោកស្តាយ (kuəʼaaysaokstaay)
• Latin: paenitendus
• Plautdietsch: schod
• Polish: godny ubolewania, godny pożałowania
• Portuguese: lamentável (pt), deplorável (pt)
• Russian: прискорбный (ru) (priskorbnyj)
• Spanish: lamentable (es)
• Swedish: beklagansvärd (sv)
• Thai: น่าเสียใจ (nâa-sǐia-jai), น่าเสียดาย (nâa-sǐia-daai)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: đáng tiếc, đáng ân hận

See also

• pitiful

French

Etymology

From regretter +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁə.ɡʁɛ.tabl/ ~ /ʁə.ɡʁe.tabl/

Adjective

regrettable (plural regrettables)

1. unfortunate, regrettable

   Synonym: dommage

See also

• déplorable
• lamentable

Further reading

• “regrettable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.