1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the rueful faces of friends and family who had gathered to pay their last respects
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorry
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
a rueful youth who had come to ask for forgiveness for online bullying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
the rueful, desperate poverty of people in parts of the Third World
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rueful
Through Eisenhower’s ruminations, Hellesen’s script notably engages with passages that land with rueful resonance to today’s ears, drawing applause from Sunday evening’s opening night crowd.
—
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Wyle’s face — rueful, furious, gentle, world weary — looks like this year has felt.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But most of Guy’s stories are told with the rueful smile of a man who knows his days of being underappreciated and underpaid are behind him.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2025
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Wyle’s face — rueful, furious, gentle, world weary — looks like this year has felt.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
But most of Guy’s stories are told with the rueful smile of a man who knows his days of being underappreciated and underpaid are behind him.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2025
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rueful
Adjective
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The song closes with a coda of saz and mandolin, mournful and hopeful in equal measure.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
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The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Their modus operandi is to rescue interesting old buildings in a sorry state of disrepair and liberally sprinkle fairy dust over them.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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Foggy is still dead, guys, sorry.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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There’s a mentality problem — that’s highlighted by a pitiful return of just one point out of a possible 24 away from home this season against teams in the top nine.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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Will the harsh weather mean poor growth and pitiful harvests?—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Don’t be ashamed to reach out for help for how to do this or to try new methods to increase arousal.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
18 May 2026
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Padilla and Damon’s characters are driven to near-madness over the blue spots, with Damon’s husband character accusing their son, a delightfully ashamed Andrew Dismukes.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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Like everyone else, Ryan only calls him lonely and pathetic.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
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Just an old, insufferable, pathetic, sad loser.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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At the center of the story is Juan Faura, played by an impressive Iván Pellicer, a disillusioned and heartbroken young man apparently eager to die in combat.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Fans of Neese’s are heartbroken.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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In the wake of Kirk’s murder, and the high-profile punishments incurred by those who weren’t properly remorseful, Kirk morphed into one of the most widespread memes in recent memory.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Horner did not seem remorseful in the interview, Espinoza said.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rueful. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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