You searched for: “rueful”
rueful (adjective), more rueful, most rueful
1. Relating to a person's feeling or to an expression of regret: Little Jeremy gave his mother a rueful smile when he apologized for spilling some soup on the table during lunch.
2. Conveying sympathy or compassion: Jack nodded his head at Rebecca's reason for being late with dinner and so, he gave her a rueful and understanding smile.
3. Etymology or origin of the word: from Old English hreow, "repentance" and German Reue, "remorse."
A reference to indicating one's pity for others.
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This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group R (page 5)