rueful

adjective

rue·​ful ˈrü-fəl 

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 

adverb

ruefulness noun

Synonyms of rueful

• mournful
• weeping
• heartbroken
• funeral
• bitter
• melancholy

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

Her lips pressed in a rueful grin. —Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Through Eisenhower’s ruminations, Hellesen’s script notably engages with passages that land with rueful resonance to today’s ears, drawing applause from Sunday evening’s opening night crowd. —Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026

The album’s 20 songs are the resigned and rueful sound of him making amends with his obscurity, and his larger place in the universe. —Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 Jan. 2026

From the sidelines, an indefatigably kind and patient nurse (Fisayo Akinade) observes these fractious family dynamics with a rueful twinkle, gently counseling the dying matriarch as to how to bring her brood back together. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rueful

adjective

rue·​ful ˈrü-fəl 

1

: exciting pity or sympathy

2

: mournful sense 1, regretful

ruefully

-fə-lē 

adverb