rueful
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.
He flashes a rueful smile, "we're used to it, but it's pretty awful."
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
A rueful look crosses Niki’s face when he opens his first safe to rescue Harry’s hearing aids, as if he knows this can’t lead anywhere good, and indeed it does not.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
"In one day," he says, with a rueful smile.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
Good actors “act the way people used to act,” he says with a rueful nostalgia at odds with his youth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
So did the rueful Rowe, but when a drawing was held to determine who would get the horse, Irwin came out on top.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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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