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

But Dear Nashville succeeds because Monroe’s songs are rueful rather than bitter, determined and occasionally defiant but never defeated. —Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026

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

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

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