32
sorry(adjective, sad, sorrow, depression, woe)
32
mournful(adjective, bad, blue, happy, sad)
26
regretful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, mournful)
25
sorrowful(adjective, upset, bad, happy, sad)
25
sad(adjective, upset, cut, mean, bad)
23
contrite(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, apologetic)
22
remorseful(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, guilty)
20
apologetic(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, regret)
20
penitent(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, sorry)
20
repentant(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorry, apologetic)
20
doleful(adjective, bad, blue, happy, sad)
16
miserable(adjective, upset, mean, bad, moving)
16
ruthful(adjective, bad, sad, sorrow, depression)
16
lugubrious(adjective, bad, happy, sad, sorrow)
15
dreary(adjective, bad, blue, sad, pain)
14
lamentable(adjective, bad, happy, sad, pain)
13
woeful(adjective, happy, sad, pain, sorrow)
13
wretched(adjective, mean, moving, poor, low)
13
deplorable(adjective, bad, happy, sad, pain)
12
dolorous(adjective, happy, sad, sorrow, depression)
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APASmart Define. (2015). rueful thesaurus. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/rueful/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "rueful thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/rueful/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, rueful thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/rueful/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "rueful thesaurus" 13 April 2015. Web. 21 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/rueful/thesaurus/synonyms>