adjective
remorseful
rih-MAWS-fuul
adjective
1
Feeling genuinely sorry for something you did wrong.
"He seemed truly remorseful about missing her birthday."
"The remorseful driver apologised to everyone at the scene."
How to Use Remorseful
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFeeling bad or guilty about something you did.
Common mistake
Remorseful is about genuine guilt for a wrongdoing, not just general sadness or disappointment.
Common pairings
deeply remorseful
remorseful about
a remorseful apology
Word Forms
more remorseful comparative, most remorseful superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “remorseful”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He seemed truly _____ about missing her birthday.
Etymology
Built from "remorse" (from Latin remordere, "to bite back" — the idea of guilt gnawing at you) plus the adjective ending "-ful."