as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
ruefully accepted the fact that the drunk driver would never adequately pay for his crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 ruefully
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
At some point Crockett looks at me ruefully and apologizes for being such a downer.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025
Xavier shakes his head, ruefully.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Black and Richardson had shared books and talk—and, as Black ruefully admitted, cocaine—in the back room at Elaine’s.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
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
At some point Crockett looks at me ruefully and apologizes for being such a downer.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025
Xavier shakes his head, ruefully.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Black and Richardson had shared books and talk—and, as Black ruefully admitted, cocaine—in the back room at Elaine’s.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruefully
Adverb
-
Joe Garcia spoke bitterly about the decline of governance on both sides of the Straits of Florida.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
At the start of the season, the Braves lost seven in a row, setting the tone for a bitterly disappointing campaign.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
In the Western Conference, sadly, a Joker alone won’t be enough to win the pot.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
-
That is sadly the position Princess Beatrice finds herself in after the recent scandals her mother, Sarah Ferguson, and her father, Prince Andrew, have been embroiled in.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
29 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
My day in court is painfully overdue.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Previously, the story followed Zagreus, the painfully cool son of Hades who spent his days making a break for the surface world to escape the overbearing grip of his father.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruefully. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share