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.
"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
"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
“Thank God it could never happen here,” Johnson says with a rueful laugh.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
“No, I — I left,” Ash said, sounding rueful.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
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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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