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.
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
"I might have won the World Championship two years earlier than I did," said a rueful Higgins, who admitted that was one of his most painful losses in his 34-year professional career.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
So he decides to keep appearing in clubs to tell tales of his relationship woes, lacing the commentary with rueful remarks that are vaguely comic, though nothing he says is actually funny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
Take it from an internet addict now in rueful repair: this is the summer to slam your laptop shut, link arms with your friends, and go outside to touch some grass.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2025
“The poor Colonel,” Alaska said with a rueful smile.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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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