Regretful describes someone who feels or shows sadness or disappointment about something they did or that happened.
From *regret* + *-ful* (full of). *Regret* comes from Old French *regret* (sorrow, distress), possibly linked to weeping again.
A regretful apology isn’t just words; it carries that heavy ‘I wish I could rewind this’ feeling. The ‘-ful’ ending reminds you the person is full of that emotion, not just politely saying sorry.
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