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
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
Watch Swift ruefully recount how Sheeran found out about her engagement above.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 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
At some point Crockett looks at me ruefully and apologizes for being such a downer.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025
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
Watch Swift ruefully recount how Sheeran found out about her engagement above.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 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
At some point Crockett looks at me ruefully and apologizes for being such a downer.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruefully
Adverb
-
The play unfolds as a series of battles, where the unaccomplished George and the bitterly disappointed Martha exchange vicious and demeaning insults, using Nick and Honey as the unsuspecting pawns in their war for supremacy.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
-
East Coast finally welcomes the warmth The East Coast is finally seeing some warm weather after a bitterly cold winter.—
Kathryn Prociv,
NBC news,
9 Mar. 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
-
Western civilization has created incredible innovation and achievements, while sadly slavery and colonialism will always be a part of history.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Short term, the answer is, sadly, yes.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 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
-
The hug is so painfully welcome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Progress has been painfully slow, stalled by gaps in technical knowledge, cost overruns and the extreme caution required to deal with an unprecedented accident of such magnitude.—
Yusuke Maekawa,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruefully. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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