Kevin
August 4, 2021
Common Questions
This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word regards, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word regards is one of many formal greetings that someone can use at the end of a letter. This shows that you hold the person you are writing the letter to in high regard or esteem, which shows that you have admiration for them. This usage is one of affection. A couple of variations on the word regards you may see at the end of a letter as a formal valediction before a signature include kind regards, warmest regards, best regards, best wishes, warm regards, cheers, good wishes, kisses, hugs, and more. Some of these related words are more formal closings that can be used for professional correspondence while others show more of a familiarity that you might use with family members or close friends. Make sure that you take into account the recipient and whether it is formal or informal communication before using a certain salutation or valediction. Regards is often used in business writing, business communications, and other formal communications or formal closings. This would probably not be used in text messages or over Facebook, as native English speakers would find it too formal. The word regards shows a particular quality of politeness, rapport, gratitude and appreciation for the worth of a person. Regard is two syllables – re-gard, and the pronunciation of regard is rɪˈɡɑːdz.
The word regard can also mean to gaze upon, or to consider in a certain way with the quality of a particular thing. Many different languages also use words that mean regards (noun plural). You may notice that some of these words look and sound quite similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as a word in a different language and also look and sound similar. These are usually formed when two words have the same language of origin. This list of translations of regards is provided by Word Sense.
The word regards can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards and quizzes to test your knowledge of different words’ definitions. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several examples of the word regards to help get you started.
Send my regards to Julie, I hope she’s doing well. I heard she got a new job at Forbes! Such a huge accomplishment, she should be very proud.
I spent so much time going back and forth on what valediction to use for a letter to my supervisor. I settled on “best regards” but now I’m overthinking it.
She sent the vendor regards. Despite them not being chosen for the account, she believed they had wonderful taste. Their estimation of costs was simply too high for the scope of the project.
For clarification, she used the formal version of the valediction regards in response to the child using “catch ya later.” She hoped this would show him how to sign off a formal letter to a person. The child did not understand what she was doing and continued using his own made up sign-offs.
According to Etymonline, the word regards has been used as a valediction since 1775. This comes from the word regard, which comes from the Old French regard, Old French regart, and Old French regarder meaning to take notice. This is from the prefix re, used as an intensive, and the root garder, meaning to look, heed, or guard, from a Germaic origin. Related words include regarded, regarding, regardless, and disregard.
There are many different words and phrases that a person can use in place of the word regards. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a great tool to use to avoid repeating yourself as well as to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms of regards is provided by Power Thesaurus.
Overall, the word regards means a polite expression of desire at the end of a letter or e-mail. This is considered quite a formal greeting, and is appropriate for use in business emails, formal letters, and other forms of correspondence. This is probably too formal to use in something like a text message or social media DM.
