verb

bereuen

regret

Ein Gefühl, bei dem man sich schlecht oder schuldig fühlt, weil man etwas getan oder gesagt hat, das man jetzt anders machen würde.

Definition & meaning

The verb bereuen means to regret or feel remorse for a past action, decision, or omission. It describes the emotional state of wishing that something had been done differently or not done at all. Usually, it implies a sense of guilt or a realization that a mistake was made.

In a broader sense, it can also refer to the act of repenting in a moral or religious context, where an individual acknowledges a transgression and feels sorrow for it.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, bereuen is a weak (regular) verb. Its principal forms are:

Present: ich bereue
Past: ich bereute
Perfect: ich habe bereut

The word is composed of the inseparable prefix be-, which often makes a verb transitive (meaning it takes a direct object), and the base verb reuen. The root reuen comes from the Middle High German "riuwen" and Old High German "hriuwan," which originally meant to cause pain or to distress.

Synonyms & antonyms

Several German words share a similar meaning or represent the opposite sentiment.

Synonyms:

bedauern (to regret or feel sorry about something, often used for circumstances)
Reue empfinden[?](vocabuo://word/reue empfinden) (to feel remorse)
leidtun (to be sorry)
sich Vorwürfe machen[?](vocabuo://word/sich vorwürfe machen) (to blame oneself)

Antonyms: