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
Who knows the best way to get out from behind a disaster by striking a rueful pose?
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
“Thank God it could never happen here,” Johnson says with a rueful laugh.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025
While he enjoys the craftmanship, he admits with a rueful smile that he has still not learned to play the piano himself.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025
They hated to see Lily go, but they were happy she was going off to college—though they’d never heard of Spelman, Lily added with a rueful smile on her face.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
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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