rueful

1 of 2

adjective

rue·​ful ˈrü-fəl How to pronounce rueful (audio)
Synonyms of rueful
1
: exciting pity or sympathy : pitiable
… rueful squalid poverty … by every wayside …—John Morley
2
: mournful, regretful
… troubled her with a rueful disquiet.—William Thackeray
ruefully
ˈrü-fə-lē How to pronounce rueful (audio)
adverb
ruefulness noun

ruefulness

2 of 2

noun

rue·​ful·​ness
-fəlnə̇s
plural -es
: the quality or state of being rueful

Synonyms of rueful

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of rueful in a Sentence

Adjective He gave me a rueful smile and apologized. the rueful faces of friends and family who had gathered to pay their last respects
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Her lips pressed in a rueful grin. — Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026 Marcus Semien — a 35-year-old second baseman less than a month into his first season in Queens — said, cracking a rueful smile. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 But most of Guy’s stories are told with the rueful smile of a man who knows his days of being underappreciated and underpaid are behind him. — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2025 Metcalf and Pullman are both wonderful in their shuffling ordinariness, reenacting long-obsolete parental dynamics with a kind of rueful, hopeful denial. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rueful

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English rewfulnes, from rewful rueful + -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1574, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rueful was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

rue family
rueful
ruefully
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Cite this Entry

“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rueful. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

rueful

adjective
rue·​ful ˈrü-fəl How to pronounce rueful (audio)
1
: exciting pity or sympathy
2
: mournful sense 1, regretful
ruefully
-fə-lē How to pronounce rueful (audio)
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on rueful

Nglish: Translation of rueful for Spanish Speakers

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