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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of rueful
Wyle’s face — rueful, furious, gentle, world weary — looks like this year has felt.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rueful
Adjective
-
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Liverpool’s sorry state Liverpool were sitting pretty for a short time at Anfield, driven in front by another epic strike from Szoboszlai (above).—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Sascha Smith recalled one of the last things Marantos said before going into emergency surgery Friday was sorry to his daughter Naomi, 6, for missing her birthday Sunday.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 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
-
Additionally, Williams feels proud of how her transparency has helped others not feel ashamed of doing what’s best for their health, especially considering there's been a lot of controversy surrounding the use of GLP-1 medications.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
-
As explained above, that’s nothing to be ashamed about with how well the Clippers are playing.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These attempts at sowing division are pathetic and getting boring.—
Rhyma Castillo,
San Antonio Express-News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
For Guardiola to focus on lambasting Hallam was pretty pathetic, all told.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Though heartbroken, Punsalan and Swallow decided to compete at Lillehammer anyway.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
3 Feb. 2026
-
An internal exam performed by her doctor indicated signs of a miscarriage at just five weeks, leaving her and her husband heartbroken.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit.—
Anna Peele,
Vanity Fair,
27 Jan. 2026
-
During his years behind bars, the 81 year old became reflective and remorseful, though no less colorful.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rueful. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
