Ruefully

adv

adv ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    In a rueful manner; causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow.

    "He smiled ruefully at me."

Adverb
  1. 1
    in a rueful manner wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
agonizinglycompunctiouslycontritelydistressinglydolefullydolefully

Example

More examples

"He pushed his straw hat back, scratched his head, and laughed ruefully."

Etymology

From rueful + -ly.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.