What does "rue" mean?
Sorrow; repentance; regret.
Rue
/ɹuː/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Sorrow; repentance; regret.
- Grammar: rue is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: regret, ruta graveolens, affliction, anguish.
- Useful contrasts: celebrate, gloat, indifference.
- Usage evidence: I rue the day I crossed paths with this asshole.
How to use "rue"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rue" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rue" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rue" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rue" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rue" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "regret" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rue", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Sorrow; repentance; regret. archaic, dialectal, uncountable
"When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, / "The heart out of the bosom was never given in vain; / 'Tis paid with sighs aplenty and sold for endless rue." / And I am two-and-twenty, and oh, 'tis true, 'tis true."
- 2 Any of various perennial shrubs of the genus Ruta, especially the herb Ruta graveolens (common rue), formerly used in medicines. countable, uncountable
"But th'aged Nourse, her calling to her bowre, / Had gathered Rew, and Savine, and the flowre / Of Camphora, and Calamint, and Dill [...]."
- 3 (French) a street or road in France wordnet
- 4 Pity; compassion. archaic, dialectal, uncountable
- 5 sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 leaves sometimes used for flavoring fruit or claret cup but should be used with great caution: can cause irritation like poison ivy wordnet
- 7 European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy wordnet
Verb
- 1 To repent of or regret (some past action or event); to wish that a past action or event had not taken place. transitive
"to rue the day"
- 2 feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about wordnet
- 3 To cause to repent of sin or regret some past action. obsolete, transitive
- 4 To cause to feel sorrow or pity. obsolete, transitive
- 5 To feel compassion or pity; to take pity (on), to have compassion (on). archaic, intransitive, obsolete
"[…] till our Lord's clouds rue upon the earth, and send down a watring of rain: Truly , I think Christ's misty dew a welcome message from heaven, till my Lord's rain fall : […]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To feel sorrow or regret. archaic, intransitive
"Old year, we'll dearly rue for you."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I rue the day I crossed paths with this asshole."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rue"?
Common synonyms include: regret, ruta graveolens, affliction, anguish, attrition, be sorry for.
How do you use "rue" in a sentence?
I rue the day I crossed paths with this asshole.
How do you pronounce "rue"?
Pronounced /ɹuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English rewe, reowe, from Old English hrēow (“sorrow, regret, penitence, repentance, penance”), from Proto-West Germanic *hreuwu (“pain, sadness, regret, repentance”). Cognates include German reuen (“to regret, to repent”) and Dutch berouwen (“to regret, to repent”). Probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krows-. If so, note the same sense evolution with in this case cognate Russian круши́ть (krušítʹ, “to destroy, to shatter”), Russian сокруша́ться (sokrušátʹsja, “to be distressed, to grieve (for, over)”). Also compare Czech truchlit from Proto-Slavic *truxlъ.
Etymology 2
From Middle English rewen, ruwen, ruen, reowen, from Old English hrēowan (“to rue; make sorry; grieve”), perhaps influenced by Old Norse hryggja (“to distress, grieve”), from Proto-Germanic *hrewwaną (“to sadden; repent”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English rue, from Anglo-Norman ruwe, Old French rue, from Latin rūta, from Ancient Greek ῥυτή (rhutḗ).