professional regards
/prəˈfɛʃənəl rɪˈɡɑːrdz/
CommonEmail sign-offs like 'Regards', 'Best', or 'Kind regards' that signal varying degrees of warmth or coldness depending on which one you choose.
The colder the sign-off, the more passive-aggressive it reads in context. 'Regards' after a tense email is a known power move.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | she signed off with just 'Regards'. no 'Kind', no 'Best'. she is absolutely furious. | The cold sign-off signals real tension even though the email itself was polite. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | my coworker went from 'Thanks so much!' to 'Best' to 'Regards' over three emails. this is an escalation. | Tracking a cooling relationship through progressively colder sign-offs. | reddit, 2022 |
| 03 | people think 'Kind regards' is just a sign-off. no. there is a whole professional regards tier list. | The sign-off spectrum carries real social meaning at work. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | I signed an email 'Regards' by accident and now I have to send a follow-up to clarify I am not upset. | Accidentally sending the wrong signal with a cold sign-off. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Analyzing what someone's email sign-off really means.
- Joking about the hidden hostility in a cold closing line.
- Discussing the unwritten social code of work email endings.
Do not use it when
- You are literally just asking what to write at the end of an email.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
The phrase 'professional regards' as a term of analysis grew from social media discussions about passive-aggressive email culture, particularly on Twitter and TikTok in the early 2020s.
- First seen
- 2020s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/professional-regardsUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0