rueful

adjective

rue·​ful ˈrü-fəl How to pronounce rueful (audio)
1
: exciting pity or sympathy : pitiable
rueful squalid poverty … by every waysideJohn Morley
2
: mournful, regretful
troubled her with a rueful disquietW. M. Thackeray
ruefully adverb
ruefulness noun

Examples of rueful in a Sentence

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 Often, though, snobbish pique yields to a more rueful and ruminative mode, as Li reflects on the waste and futility around him. The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2023 The tone throughout Strength is by turns optimistic, rueful, and paternal. Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023 Streisand sings it with astute, rueful humor and a touch of heartache. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023 But on 1972’s For the Roses, 1974’s Court and Spark, and 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Mitchell became more rueful and reflective, sometimes ditching her normal first-person voice for character studies and hiring jazz and fusion players to broaden her palette. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2023 This borderline sitcom setup is rife with dramatic opportunity, but Pritzker’s screenplay favors rueful anticlimax over conflict at all times. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023 Whatever his excesses and former escapades, Quaid’s current peace of mind is accompanied by a wry, rueful humor that is never far from his thought process. Steven Gaydos, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023 Patchett’s rueful yet radiant novel contains much the same lesson. Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2023 Recognizing that gulf is a sad thing for her, and Huston holds Anderson’s intense close-ups with an expression both loving and rueful at once. Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rueful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near rueful

Cite this Entry

“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rueful. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rueful

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

More from Merriam-Webster on rueful

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