1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the rueful faces of friends and family who had gathered to pay their last respects
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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
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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
What’s a cocky teenage boy to an English teacher in middle life and his rueful wife?
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Baker clearly respects and admires Ani, and looks with rueful empathy at the severe orders and fearsome threats under which the three tough guys labor, the harsh yet frivolous upbringing that has left Vanya a terrified emotional baby.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Baker clearly respects and admires Ani, and looks with rueful empathy at the severe orders and fearsome threats under which the three tough guys labor, the harsh yet frivolous upbringing that has left Vanya a terrified emotional baby.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for rueful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rueful
Adjective
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At the vigil, the atmosphere appeared to be both mournful and celebratory of Scooter’s life.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Season four will be the last for The Righteous Gemstones, and there are signs in this mournful (and vulgar/hilarious) episode that this extremely American empire may be going the way of Kelvin’s treehouse.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the moment, Fleury joked that Ovechkin’s on-ice salute was because the Russian sniper was sorry to see his favorite foil retire.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
13 Apr. 2025
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Being objective about Trump is not in the Sun Sentinel’s opinion lexicon — sorry to say.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the modern Democratic Party, rudderless and confused and reeling from a pitiful collective performance during Tuesday evening's presidential joint address to Congress, now confronts a fork in the road that's no joke.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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In the director’s world, fathers are pitiful providers, mothers are blandly cheerful (while quietly suffering enormously), and the kids see far more than their parents do.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
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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The young Jamie desperately wants his father’s approval, but his dad is ashamed of him.—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Waging war on Denmark is wrong and will damage U.S. defense and foreign relations for decades We Americans should be ashamed of ourselves and of our government.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Read more The pathetic, slow-motion downfall of Barack Obama Houseguests and fish begin to smell after three days, as the saying goes.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
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Regression was fair to expect, but man did the Canucks just look offensively pathetic most of the year.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Downs recovered from her injuries but remained heartbroken over the loss of her friends and overwhelmed with survivor's guilt.—
Laurel Morales,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
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King was on an errand to pick up a snack for his mom when he was shot, heartbroken relatives said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Eric claims to be remorseful, and makes a big point of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2025
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Hoffman acknowledges the crime and is deeply remorseful, his attorney, Cecelia Kappel, told USA TODAY.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA TODAY,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rueful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rueful. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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