highly regret

USAGE SUMMARY

"highly regret" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means to feel strong or intense feelings of regret. Example: I highly regret not studying harder for my exams.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

A development which I highly regret.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

A government statement said the newspaper's owners "highly regretted the story".

BBC

(I was hungover when we did the latter, and I highly, highly regretted drinking the night before).

Huffington Post

Deming's family moved to the U.S. to make it possible, and it's highly doubtful they regret the decision.

TechCrunch

United had their chance to sign him when he left Southampton for Tottenham in 2007 and Sir Alex Ferguson, the club's former manager, is on record as saying that the failure numbered highly among his regrets.

The Guardian - Sport

The rebuke, apology and expressions of regret are highly embarrassing and come as the Foreign Office is engaged in a turf war with the Department for International Development (DfID) over future projects.

The Guardian

The New Yorker, May 3 , 1947P. 27 A lady from Teaneck boughta bag in a Fifth Avenue shop last Wednesday, and thought she'd made a pretty shrewd buy until she got to poking around behind the inside flaps on her way home and came up with a tag that read, "The leather in this bag is highly fashionable, but we regret we cannot guarantee it for wear.

The New Yorker

If you make this a part of your daily routine, I highly doubt you will regret it.

Huffington Post

Binomial tests revealed that rates of adaptive switching among 7- and 9-year-olds who experienced regret were highly unlikely to be due to chance (in both cases, p <  .001).001

Child Development

"You're ruining pastries for me with this Twitter feed, Bri," @andrearosen wrote to me in May, after I regretted a highly caloric Starbucks order.

The New York Times

For that she was highly criticized, but never regretted her decision.

HuffPost

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "highly regret" when you want to express a strong sense of disappointment or remorse about a past action or decision. Ensure the context is appropriate for a formal or semi-formal tone.

Common error

Avoid using "highly regret" in casual conversations or informal writing. Opt for simpler phrases like "I really regret" or "I wish I hadn't" for a more natural tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "highly regret" functions as a verb phrase where the adverb "highly" modifies the verb "regret", intensifying the feeling of remorse or disappointment. This is supported by Ludwig, which confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Academia

10%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "highly regret" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase that expresses a strong feeling of remorse or disappointment, as confirmed by Ludwig. While not extremely common, its usage is appropriate in neutral to formal contexts, particularly in news and media. When choosing alternatives, consider the specific nuance you want to convey, opting for phrases like "deeply lament" or "sincerely rue" for a more emphatic or formal tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

greatly deplore

Uses "greatly" instead of "highly" to intensify the feeling of regret.

have strong regrets about

Reformulates the phrase to focus on possessing significant regrets.

deeply lament

Replaces "highly regret" with a more formal and emphatic expression of sorrow.

feel intense remorse for

Replaces "regret" with "remorse" to highlight a moral or ethical dimension to the feeling.

sincerely rue

Uses a less common verb, "rue", to convey a strong sense of regret with an emphasis on sincerity.

bitterly deplore

Emphasizes the negative consequences and feelings associated with the regret.

wholeheartedly wish I hadn't

Emphasizes the desire to undo a past action.

have profound misgivings about

Shifts the focus to feelings of unease or doubt that lead to regret.

am deeply saddened by

Expresses sorrow and regret in a more passive and emotional way.

consider it a matter of great regret

Presents the regret as a significant and important feeling.

FAQs

How can I use "highly regret" in a sentence?

You can use "highly regret" to express strong disappointment or remorse, such as "I "highly regret" not taking that opportunity when it was offered."

What can I say instead of "highly regret"?

You can use alternatives like "deeply lament", "sincerely rue", or "greatly deplore depending on the context.

Is it more correct to say "highly regret" or "deeply regret"?

Both ""highly regret"" and "deeply regret" are grammatically correct and express a strong feeling of remorse. The choice depends on stylistic preference, although "deeply regret" might be perceived as slightly more common.

What is the difference between "highly regret" and "slightly regret"?

"Highly regret" indicates a strong feeling of remorse or disappointment, while "slightly regret" indicates a mild or weak feeling of regret. The intensity of the feeling is the key difference.