English vocabulary · B2
Rueful
/ˈruː.fəl/ · adj.
It means feeling sad and sorry about something you did. You regret it, but you can still smile a little at yourself.
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Example sentences
- He gave a rueful smile after missing the train.
- She looked rueful as she read her old diary.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- hreow — grief (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- REGRETFUL — feeling sorry about something (General & Serious)
- SORRY — sad about what happened (Simple & Everyday)
- REMORSEFUL — feeling very strong guilt (Deeper & More Intense)
Similar words
- regretful
- remorseful
- sorry
Lesson notes
Rueful. It means feeling sad and sorry about something you did. You regret it, but you can still smile a little at yourself.
Similar words are regretful, sorry, and remorseful. Use rueful when someone feels quiet, gentle regret — not deep guilt.
He gave a rueful smile after missing the train. She looked rueful as she read her old diary.
From Old English. Hreow- means grief. A quiet grief that looks back at what you did — that feeling is rueful.