Unfortunate or sad; something you wish had not happened.
From 'regret' (from Old French 'regreter,' possibly from Germanic roots meaning 'to weep again') + '-able' suffix. The base word suggests expressing deep sorrow.
The word 'regret' contains 're-' (again) suggesting you keep feeling the feeling over and over—that's why regrettable things haunt us; the word structure itself implies you can't stop regretting.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.