rueful
causing sorrow or pity; pitiable; deplorable: a rueful plight.
feeling, showing, or expressing sorrow, repentance, or regret: the rueful look on her face.
Origin of rueful
1Other words from rueful
- rue·ful·ly, adverb
- rue·ful·ness, noun
- half-rue·ful, adjective
- un·rue·ful, adjective
- un·rue·ful·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rueful in a sentence
The Emperor did allow himself a moment of ruefulness when he conceded that the people he was leaving might feel “let down.”
"Or than me either, I'm afraid," he added, with a ruefulness that was not ill-tempered.
Tristram of Blent | Anthony Hope"They will all laugh at me," sighed the subdued Annie, with comical ruefulness.
A Houseful of Girls | Sarah Tytler"I am not so sure of that," he said with pretended ruefulness, feeling in the breast pocket of his shirt.
The Song of the Wolf | Frank Mayer"Ah, yes; he has excellent common-sense," Lady Agatha echoed, with a ruefulness which made Mary laugh suddenly.
Mary Gray | Katharine Tynan
In the midst of his ruefulness the doctor, a capable-looking man of five and thirty, entered the room.
Septimus | William J. Locke
British Dictionary definitions for rueful
/ (ˈruːfʊl) /
feeling or expressing sorrow or repentance: a rueful face
inspiring sorrow or pity
Derived forms of rueful
- ruefully, adverb
- ruefulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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