ruefully

adverb

Definition of ruefullynext
as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief ruefully accepted the fact that the drunk driver would never adequately pay for his crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruefully Carrie Warick-Smith, at the Association of Community College Trustees, laughed ruefully when she was asked when that journey — and the free money to start it — might actually begin. — Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 30 June 2026 As Chemerinsky ruefully admits, courts have deemed such suits in recent decades to be political questions outside their scope. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 1 May 2026 Nikki Glaser is looking back ruefully on being eliminated first from Dancing With the Stars season 27. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026 Defying the line in the play where Robert Shaw ruefully hopes none of his children will become actors, Ian Shaw is a veteran stage, film and TV performer, mostly taking smaller parts in the United Kingdom. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026 This last comment came from a fellow traveler, ruefully disclosing an act of self-defense many years ago. — Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 Elsa / Getty Images The Atlanta Falcons’ struggles had head coach Raheem Morris ruefully quoting his former boss and friend, Mike Tomlin. — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025 Safdie says as Johnson laughs ruefully. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025 Annoyingly, the line was all McNamara, D'Arcy points out ruefully. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruefully
  1. bitterly
  2. sorrowfully
  3. sadly
  4. mournfully
  5. painfully
Adverb
  • District 4 The District 4 race between Sharry Kimmel, of Parkland, and Nicole Morst, of Coral Springs, has turned into one of the most bitterly contested, with both candidates questioning the honesty of their opponent.
    — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Many clergy bitterly opposed the handover of the villages and criticized Pashinyan, who came to power in the South Caucasus nation amid a wave of hopeful, pro-democracy protests that swept Armenia in 2018.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • The bears were getting thinned out in Mississippi, and the wilderness was sadly reduced.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Just as Wolvie is hot on their trail, he’s impaled by a harpoon and the demo sadly comes to an end.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • Mayfield watched mournfully in his kitchen while the rest of the family sat in the living room with the big screen next to a Christmas tree.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Definition of mournfully
Adverb
  • Hathaway effortlessly carries the film’s pathos, building a home in a very human (and painfully relatable) character.
    — Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But loving Lochte and building a life with him proved, painfully, to be two different things.
    — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of painfully

Browse Nearby Words

rueful
ruefully
rues
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Cite this Entry

“Ruefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruefully. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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