as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
ruefully accepted the fact that the drunk driver would never adequately pay for his crime
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Recent Examples of ruefully
Nikki Glaser is looking back ruefully on being eliminated first from Dancing With the Stars season 27.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Defying the line in the play where Robert Shaw ruefully hopes none of his children will become actors, Ian Shaw is a veteran stage, film and TV performer, mostly taking smaller parts in the United Kingdom.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
This last comment came from a fellow traveler, ruefully disclosing an act of self-defense many years ago.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Elsa / Getty Images The Atlanta Falcons’ struggles had head coach Raheem Morris ruefully quoting his former boss and friend, Mike Tomlin.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Safdie says as Johnson laughs ruefully.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Annoyingly, the line was all McNamara, D'Arcy points out ruefully.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Jon Stewart, ever the happy employee in his running joke of begrudgingly working Monday nights at The Daily Show, ruefully acknowledged being back at his post after being on vacation for over a month.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Ever since, intelligence officers have ruefully invoked that truism whenever they’re blamed for a major screwup.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Defying the line in the play where Robert Shaw ruefully hopes none of his children will become actors, Ian Shaw is a veteran stage, film and TV performer, mostly taking smaller parts in the United Kingdom.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
This last comment came from a fellow traveler, ruefully disclosing an act of self-defense many years ago.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Elsa / Getty Images The Atlanta Falcons’ struggles had head coach Raheem Morris ruefully quoting his former boss and friend, Mike Tomlin.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Safdie says as Johnson laughs ruefully.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Annoyingly, the line was all McNamara, D'Arcy points out ruefully.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Jon Stewart, ever the happy employee in his running joke of begrudgingly working Monday nights at The Daily Show, ruefully acknowledged being back at his post after being on vacation for over a month.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruefully
Adverb
-
The trial has dragged on for six years in a case that has bitterly divided the Israeli public.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The eight men at the center of this book shared the common experience of being born before the Civil War, when this country was bitterly divided over slavery.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
If the Premier League’s bottom club hoped to draw a symbolic line under their season from hell with the confirmation of relegation from the Premier League, they were left sadly disappointed by events at Molineux in the first game since their fate was sealed.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Stage star Kelli Barrett, as Bertie, is given far less to work with, sadly.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
That, along with the March trade that sent Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres, would leave them painfully thin down the middle, with little center help coming up through the system.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Vientos’ error ultimately led to just one (unearned) run, but the margins are painfully thin for a Mets team that managed only four hits against four Rockies pitchers in Game 1.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruefully. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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