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
But most of my friends grimace and then, after a rueful joke, move on to other topics.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The book also has a complicated, somewhat rueful take on race.
—Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
Arrogantly rueful, Hartnett’s vicious killer has a flair for the dramatic, revealing, in the film’s final throes, to lead a semi-charmed kinda life.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024
Bank’s wry, matter-of-fact tone makes the stories’ many rueful asides, exquisitely funny similes and snappy one-liners all the more effective.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rueful 
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
The book also has a complicated, somewhat rueful take on race.
—Charles McGrath, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024
Arrogantly rueful, Hartnett’s vicious killer has a flair for the dramatic, revealing, in the film’s final throes, to lead a semi-charmed kinda life.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024
Bank’s wry, matter-of-fact tone makes the stories’ many rueful asides, exquisitely funny similes and snappy one-liners all the more effective.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rueful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rueful
Adjective
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Angelo Badalamenti’s mournful, string-laden score draws us in, emphasizing the quaintness of the visuals, while also suggesting a deeper pain at the core of this place.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2025
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The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) shared a sorrowful story across their social media feeds about a mournful looking cat.—
TJ Macias,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like, sorry, life isn't some perfect script for everyone.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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Some of those starts were even with MBM—sorry, Garage 66.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This isn’t to say Orlok isn’t evil, but that his evilness does not exclude him from being pitiful.—
Alex Abad-Santos,
Vox,
10 Jan. 2025
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Perhaps this weekend can be a get-right game against the pitiful New York Jets, but there’s not much to be excited about.—
Fox News Staff,
Fox News,
13 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
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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Yet none of the people who had new hates felt remotely ashamed.—
Sheila Heti,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
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With your silly smirks your mothers would be ashamed of?—
Marya E. Gates,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Something drastic has to be done with this pathetic group of men masquerading as basketball players.—
Ticked Off,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2025
-
On Vanderpump Rules, this man was smug, pathetic, punchable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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When Tai Shan was sent to China and separated from his parents, Nguyen was heartbroken.—
Christopher Cann,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
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And now, a heartbroken mom has gone viral on TikTok, opening up about losing her 3-year-old daughter to invasive Strep A in 2022.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the fans wearing Aaron Judge and Mariano Rivera jerseys who tried to pry the ball from Betts’ glove weren’t exactly remorseful.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2024
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Hughie Campbell is walking with his girlfriend down the street when suddenly she's obliterated by a speeding A-Train, who doesn't really seem that remorseful.—
Gord Magill,
Newsweek,
22 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near rueful
Cite this Entry
“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rueful. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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