1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the rueful faces of friends and family who had gathered to pay their last respects
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorry
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
a rueful youth who had come to ask for forgiveness for online bullying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
the rueful, desperate poverty of people in parts of the Third World
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rueful
That race ended with the elder Cuomo coming in second with 40% of the vote—a number the son invoked in his concession speech with a rueful smile.
—
Nik Popli, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Instead Kidman was wry, rueful, unsure of herself.
—Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
After that excruciating miss Saturday, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Nik Popli, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Instead Kidman was wry, rueful, unsure of herself.
—Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
After that excruciating miss Saturday, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rueful
Adjective
-
Adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella, Train Dreams stars Joel Edgerton in an elegiac, mournful portrait of a logger at the turn of the century.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
All Fox could do was cradle Truman’s hand, stare straight ahead, summon a proud mournful dignity, and try to pretend that the people all around them did not exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Wait, sorry, who is Ashley French?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Their new offering will cover stories on the mental side of sports, such as how to drink coffee like Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, and tips from a gold medalist on how to say sorry less.—
Emily Olsen,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Writer-director Craig Brewer resists the temptation to make Mike and Claire in any way pitiful or worthy of derision.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
Jennette McCurdy isn’t ashamed to admit that comfort is a huge part of her life right now.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Emotions involved in career loss and grief are signals that provide information, not failures to suppress or be ashamed of.—
Kathy Caprino,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Marche feared that ChatGPT-3 meant the end of freshman composition papers, but that’s a pathetic and moribund genre anyhow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
While having a decent enough defense, the offense was pathetic.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That Scottish title follows the tragic story of British teenager Molly Russell, who was driven by social media to take her own life in 2017, and her heartbroken father’s quest to uncover the truth behind her death.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
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Upon arriving at the South Mississippi home where the dogs were chained up, the rescuers were heartbroken to find that one of the puppies had already died.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
During his years behind bars, the 81 year old became reflective and remorseful, though no less colorful.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Is DeAngelo remorseful for his crimes?—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rueful. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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