rueful
Americanadjective
-
causing sorrow or pity; pitiable; deplorable.
a rueful plight.
-
feeling, showing, or expressing sorrow, repentance, or regret.
the rueful look on her face.
adjective
-
feeling or expressing sorrow or repentance
a rueful face
-
inspiring sorrow or pity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rueful
First recorded in 1175–1225, rueful is from the Middle English word reowful; see rue 1, -ful
Explanation
If your elaborate magic trick goes awry, and instead of pulling a rabbit out of an audience member's shoe, you set the shoe on fire, you might give a rueful smile. Rueful means "apologetic" or "remorseful." The adjective rueful sincerely expresses regret, but it manages to do it with a hint of humor. Rueful shows up a lot in descriptions of remorseful grins or apologetic smiles. If you're sorry about something you've done but you can still laugh at yourself a little bit, you feel rueful. The word itself comes from the verb to rue, which means "to regret."
Vocabulary lists containing rueful
List 1
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Tuck Everlasting
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"In one day," he says, with a rueful smile.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
“And then,” she says with a small, rueful laugh, “everything was really hard for the next 20 years.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
Who knows the best way to get out from behind a disaster by striking a rueful pose?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
While he enjoys the craftmanship, he admits with a rueful smile that he has still not learned to play the piano himself.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2025
"I ought to know better than to argue with a Tully," he said with a rueful smile.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
